Mother and Daughter Killed in Ukraine Shelling

Since Friday, the Jewish community in the Ukrainian city of Lugansk has been in mourning following the death of a mother and daughter who were killed during an exchange between Ukrainian security forces and Russian separatists.

Svetlana Sitnikov, 57, and her daughter Anna Sitnikov, 31, were out in the city center shopping for fruits and vegetables, according to a local Chabad representative, and were struck by a mortar shell. They were killed instantly.

The Sitnikov family is from the veteran families of the Jewish community and many of the children learn in the Ohr Avner institutions in the city.

Rabbi Sholom Gopin, the local Shliach and Rabbi of the city, instructed community members to arrange the Levaya as quickly as possible, but it is currently being delayed by local authorities.

“The five-year-old [son/grandson] is left orphaned, and the community has taken upon themselves the responsibility of taking care of him and his family’s needs,” Rabbi Gopin said.

Dealing with many hardships, the Jewish community in Lugansk continues to keep the Shul open, along with its other institutes – which includes a soup kitchen. The school remains closed for summer break, and the community hopes that by the time the new school year begins, the political climate will calm down and the students will be able to return to their studies in peace.

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