Odessa Jewish School and Orphanage Suffers Direct Hit in Drone Strike
by Motti Wilhelm – chabad.org
Missile strikes, air raid sirens, and scenes of widespread destruction are all too familiar in Ukraine’s port city of Odessa, where Russia has carried out near-constant bombardments for more than four years. On Wednesday night, one strike hit especially close to home for the local Jewish community.
In a drone attack that wounded at least 18 people and damaged residential buildings, Chabad-Lubavitch’s Ohr Avner Jewish day school, led by Rabbi Avraham and Chaya Wolff, sustained a direct hit, leaving the building severely damaged.
The nearby Mishpacha Ukraine orphanage was also impacted. Thanks to the swift actions of the staff, who quickly guided the over 100 children to the safety of their bomb shelter, no one associated with the school or orphanage was injured.
“The moment we heard the siren, we woke the older children,” says Rabbi Wolff. “The staff and older children helped wake the younger ones and carried them into the shelter. We had barely managed to close the door when the massive explosion hit. It shook the entire street. We understood that there had been a direct and deadly strike right next to us. Thank G‑d, the speed of our response made all the difference.”
When they emerged, they were met with the full extent of the damage. The orphanage had been damaged by nearby explosions, and the Jewish high school, long a symbol of steadfast Jewish education even under the shadow of war, had suffered a direct hit.
Determined to preserve as much stability as possible, Mrs. Wolff quickly made the decision to temporarily relocate high school classes into the elementary school building.
“It’s a very difficult situation,” she says. “The teenagers are sitting in classrooms built for younger children, in hallways and shelters that were adapted this morning to accommodate the high school as well. It’s far from easy. But where there is space in the heart, there is space in the classrooms too.”
“The children are our top priority,” Mrs. Wolf says. “Before anything else, we make sure they feel safe. That they know someone loves them, someone is caring for them, someone will not leave them. Only after that do we begin to rebuild.”
And rebuilding is exactly what they intend to do, even as the crisis around them continues with no end in sight.
“Of course, the atmosphere in the community is very heavy. Sadly, this is not the first blow,” says Rabbi Wolff. “Among those who have lost their lives in this war are many Jews, including our alumni. Two of our former students are currently missing. Many homes have been damaged, and many families have lost their homes, their livelihoods, and more.”
That much can be expected from this long-running war. Nevertheless, the rabbi strikes a positive note in his description of the work of Chabad in Odessa and of Chabad emissaries across Ukraine.
“We are focused on providing emotional, material, and spiritual support to every member of our community,” he said. “We are doing everything we can to lift people’s spirits, and especially to care for the children of the Mishpacha Ukraine orphanages.”
Wolff admits that the current circumstances demand that rabbis, layleaders and Jewish community members all draw on their deepest reserves of faith and inner strength. “But we remain confident that better days will come. Until then, and long after peace returns, we will continue our mission with confidence and joy.”
