From the Honey Factory to the Holiday Table: Ukraine’s Jews Prepare for Rosh Hashanah

In the heart of Kyiv, surrounded by major logistics centers, a production line is working at full pace, filling jars of pure honey that will soon be included in tens of thousands of Rosh Hashanah packages for Jews across Ukraine. “We are operating under complex circumstances, but the sweet tradition of Rosh Hashanah will not stop,” organizers say.

Jewish communities throughout Ukraine are intensively preparing for the upcoming High Holiday season. Community rabbis and Chabad emissaries are working around the clock to ensure that every Jew can celebrate the holidays with dignity and a profound sense of connection. The preparations involve an extensive logistical effort aimed at providing both essential assistance and meaningful Jewish content.

JRNU, The Jewish Relief Network Ukraine, which coordinates the distribution of food and humanitarian assistance to Jewish communities across the country, has made a point of producing many essential food and holiday products locally in Ukraine, using specially prepared facilities operating under kosher supervision.

One example can be found in a major industrial area of the Kyiv region. Surrounded by warehouses and logistics centers is the facility selected to produce pure kosher honey for Jewish families throughout the country.

Production workers are moving steadily along the line, with the sound of machinery accompanied during the month of Elul by the traditional blowing of the shofar. The honey production has been certified under the supervision of Rabbi Yehoshua Vyshetsky of the Ukr-Kosher certification system. Special kosher slaughtering operations for meat and poultry have also been arranged in preparation for the holidays.

Soon, the central stage of the distribution operation will begin. A fleet of trucks will depart from supply centers for dozens of Jewish communities across Ukraine. Large shipments of essential food products will arrive at Jewish community centers in cities throughout the country, from where local teams will deliver the packages directly to community members’ homes in an organized and dignified manner.

Alongside locally produced honey, fresh meat and poultry, the holiday packages will include dairy products, special honey cakes flown in from Israel, festive honey cookies produced in eastern Ukraine, canned foods, spreads and other staples. The packages will also include accessible informational materials in the local language explaining the meaning and traditions of the Jewish holiday season, as well as a specially prepared Jewish calendar featuring Jewish content and photographs.

Jewish communities across Ukraine are anticipating particularly strong participation in synagogue services and holiday activities this year. “We are preparing for an unprecedented number of people to join us for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayers,” said Rabbi Simcha Levenhartz, director of JRNU. “After such a challenging period, people are looking more than ever to be together and to reconnect with tradition. We will all pray together that the coming year will finally be a calm, peaceful and sweet one.”