(UPDATED 9:56PM) Live Feed: Updates on Chabad Institution During the War in Ukraine
by CrownHeights.info
Since the war between Russia and Ukraine began, the conditions have quickly slid downhill. With the dawn of a new day and the understanding that time is very limited, many Shluchim took the chance to evacuate their communities and institutions.
Below is a live feed of updates regarding Chabad institutions as information becomes available.
9:56pm: Boruch Hashem the Shluchim of Zahaproziah have successfully made it past the border.
9:25pm: Boruch Hashem the Shluchim of Zahaproziah, Ukraine have safety escaped the city on a packed train with thousands of Refugees as the Chechen paramilitary, allied with the Russians, are alleged to have arrived in the city. The horrors that the people of the city are facing are terrible.
The Shluchim took a 24 hour train ride to Lviv, and from there traveled to the Hungarian Border. The Shluchim’s ultimate destination is reported as Eretz Yisroel.
4:06pm: The students of the Chabad Dnyper Yeshiva have continued their journey, and have landed in Paris, France on their way to Dusseldorf, Germany.
3:15pm: After almost a week on the run, children from Zhitomir’s Chabad-run orphanage can be just kids again:
2:02pm: Message from Rabbi Menachem Gottlib, Shliach in Lviv, Ukraine (VIA ChabadLubavitchHQ Instagram)
So far, Lviv has been relatively unscathed, air raid sirens go off occasionally, but no bombs have fallen on our city. We’re just fifty miles from the Polish border. Last week, thousands of Jews and Israelis began arriving in our city, hoping to cross the border into Poland. They are fleeing the bombings and violence in the eastern parts of the country.
We’ve helped hundreds of Israelis and Ukrainian Jews reach the border so far. As long as we’re able, we’re giving them a place to sleep and some hot food. Trains to the border are rare nowadays, so we’ve arranged buses to bring people there. It’s very difficult to cross the border and people are waiting for days, often in the freezing cold. We’re working with other Jewish organizations and the Israeli government to help people navigate the process.
We’ve received countless phone calls from around the world, asking if we can help bring Jews to Lviv from eastern cities and help them across the border. There is a huge need, and we’re doing everything we can.
Additionally, we’re helping the older people in our community who are afraid to go outside to buy food. We’ve been buying food and putting together food packages that we give out to them.
-Rabbi Menachem Gottlib of Chabad in Lviv, Ukraine
12:15pm: Kyev Shliach Rabbi Yonatan Merkovitch and his family have arrived in Israel after being evacuated in haste following an immanent threat to his life.
9:40am: Please daven now for the Levitansky’s from Sumy, Ukraine to get to the border safely.
9:20am: Rabbi Shneur Vigler and his family, from Odessa Ukraine, have made the next step of their journey, boarding a plane with their destination of Eretz Yisroel.
9:00am: Hundreds of community members from the community of Cherkasy, Ukraine, accompanied by Shliach Rabbi Dov Axelrod made the perilous 24 hour journey to Romania, where they successfully crossed the border.
Updates from 3/2/22
9:55pm: Amazing news has arrived that the Silberstein family, the Shluchim to Chernigov, have reached the Moldovan border along with their entire group.
11:58am: Shliach in Kharkiv Rabbi Mendel Moskovitz made the difficult decision to leave early this morning, writing on social media that “We where bombarded since Thursday! Today it bacame impossible, windows where shaking bombs where falling all around us, today we left early morning.” He reported his plan to head to the border and from there to Israel.
11:20am: There are hundreds of yidden and Shluchim on their journey out right now with over ten hours left to go in their run for safety. Please keep them in your Teffilos.
11:15am: Rabbi Wilhelm from Zhytomyr pleads to help the Jewish people trapped in the ever-deepening crisis that has become of Ukraine.
11:10am: The Levinson family, Shluchim in Kharkov, have arrived in Dnepr, and are poised for the next step of their journey.
11:04am: Heartbreaking video from earlier today as Rabbi Avraham Wolff, Chabad Shliach to Odessa, Ukraine, waves goodbye to the 120 orphans from Chabad’s orphanage in Odessa. Rabbi and his wife stayed in the city, for now, to assist the elderly, and others in need of help.
11:00am: Boruch Hashem, both Chabad orphanages working their way out of Ukraine Tuesday successfully crossed the border.
Updates from 3/1/22
9:45pm: Please say tehillim for a group of Shluchim making a 24 hour journey through Ukraine with over 90 people in an effort to make it to Lviv-Poland.
מנחם מענדל ישראל הכהן בן נחמה דינה
חנה בת שרה
לוי יצחק הכהן בן חנה
נחום חיים הכהן בן רחל
נחמה דינה בת שיינא באשע בתי’
שניאור זלמן הכהן בן נחמה דינה
9:19pm: Shliach and Chief Rabbi Yonasan Markovitch was reportedly evacuated overnight as Ukrainian police reported an “immanent Threat” against him. Reports indicate he was accompanied by his wife and 15 other people.
4:22pm: Tehillim is being requested for the Moscowitz Family, Shluchim in Kharkov, as bombings are taking place in close proximity to their house.
מנחם מנדל בן מרים
חנה בת לאה
חייה מושקה בת חנה
רפאל עמוס בן חנה
שטרנה שרה בת חהב
ניסן שלמה בן חנה
משה בן עדה
מרים בת יהודית חנה
רבקה בת מרים
חיה מושקא בת מרים
שושנה בת מרים
שלום דובער בן מרים
ברכה בת מרים
שיינא בת מרים
יוסף יצחק בן מרים
ישראל אליעזר בן מרים
מלכה בת מרים
12:46pm: Please say tehillim for the safety of the Shluchim in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Rabbi Nachum and Nechama Ehrentreu as the city comes under attack.
נחום חיים הכהן בן רחל
נחמה דינה בת שיינא באשע
מנחם מעדל הכהן בן נחמה דינה
חנה בת שרה
לוי יצחק הכהן בן חנה
12:27pm: While some Chabad Shluchim are evacuating the country, others are staying put. Reports that the Silberstein family, the Shluchim to Chernigov, and some community members are attempting to make it to the border remain unconfirmed. Regardless, Tehillim can only do good.
ישראל יום טוב בן חייענקא פערל
עליזה חנה בת בתי’ רייזל
מנחם מנדל בן עליזה חנה
מנוחה בילא בת עליזה חנה
חיה גיטל בת עליזה חנה
חיים בן עליזה חנה
יהודית גולדה בת עליזה חנה
מושקא בת עליזה חנה
יהודה בן עליזה חנה
דבורה לאה בת עליזה חנה
דובער בן עליזה חנה
פריידא בת עליזה חנה
The community members allegedly fleeing with them:
לאה בת פאניא
דוד בן לאה
אודליה בת שרה
נתן מרדכי בן אודליה
לוי יצחק בן אודליה
מרדכי בן לאריסה
12:24pm: The Chabad orphanage in Odessa is also leaving the city today.
12:14pm: Another large group of Lubavitchers are slated to leave Denyeper today.
12:14pm: The Chabad orphanage from Zhytomyr is presently at the border. Due to the complexities of the situation, prayers are needed to ensure that all the kids cross successfully.
12:00pm: After an eleven-hour train ride from Dnieper to Odessa, the Chabad Dnieper Yeshiva reached the border with families and teachers. The border, a danger on its own, was miraculous as an Israeli Consulate worker (pictured below) assisted for hours to make sure the entire group passed the border successfully, despite legal issues.
