Tens of Thousands of Food Packages and Rosh Hashanah Kits Distributed Across Ukraine
Disruptions in the supply of basic goods and prolonged closures of stores have prompted JRNU to significantly expand its food distribution efforts for Jewish communities across Ukraine ahead of Rosh Hashanah and the Tishrei holidays. At the same time, community rabbis are reporting particularly strong attendance at Rosh Hashanah services, as many local Jews seek a sense of togetherness, tradition and community.
With shortages of essential products and increasingly complex logistical challenges making holiday preparations more difficult, Chabad’s Jewish Relief Network Ukraine (JRNU) launched a large-scale distribution operation to ensure that thousands of Jewish families and elderly residents have the supplies they need for the holidays.
Truckloads of essential food products were sent from distribution centers to dozens of Jewish communities throughout the country. From local Jewish community centers, the packages were then delivered directly to the homes of some 35,000 community members through local distribution networks.
“In these difficult and challenging days, many stores are dealing with empty shelves, and basic food products are often in short supply,” said Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Segal, Chief Rabbi of Poltava.
“The support we receive from JRNU for the Jews of our community is difficult to put into words,” Rabbi Segal said. “These generously stocked food packages do much more than meet basic needs. They bring families and community members a real sense of hope, joy and encouragement.”
In Cherkasy, holiday preparations are also in full swing despite the difficult circumstances facing local residents.
“The preparations for the holiday fill the synagogue and the community with a sense of togetherness, family and hope for a better and sweeter year,” said the city’s rabbi, Rabbi Dov Axelrod.
“Ahead of the holiday, we are distributing special food packages so that every family can celebrate around the holiday table with dignity and joy, with traditional foods and the supplies they need,” he added.
Rabbi Simcha Levenharz, director of JRNU’s distribution operation, said this year’s effort required additional logistical planning.
“Because some products are difficult to obtain locally, part of this year’s holiday package was supplied through a special air shipment from Israel, including honey cakes and other essential items,” he said. “These were distributed alongside poultry, fresh meat and jars of locally produced honey.”
The packages also included accessible educational materials in the local language explaining the meaning and traditions of the holidays, as well as a special Jewish calendar featuring photographs from community life.
Alongside the humanitarian effort, synagogues across Ukraine have reported especially strong attendance at Rosh Hashanah services, with communities expecting similarly meaningful gatherings on Yom Kippur.
“After such a long and exhausting period, people are looking more than ever for a sense of togetherness and for the strength that comes from tradition,” one community rabbi said. “We are all looking ahead and praying together that the new year will bring calm, peace and sweetness.”
