The Russian military campaign in Ukraine has had Jewish families in the southern city of Kherson worried, but the city's Chief Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Wolf remains optimistic. "We are alive, we are healthy, we are breathing, and that is what matters," he told Israel Hayom.
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"There are hundreds of Jewish families here, and I have asked everyone to refrain from stepping outside their homes."
Wolf said on Tuesday that after hours of bombings and shooting the residents could finally breathe a sigh of relief, even if temporarily.
"There was serious fighting for hours, and it caused so much worry. Thank God, at least for now it has come to an end, and that is what matters. That no Jew has gotten hurt. Everything else is insignificant." However, on Wednesday, it appears that the fighting intensified and Russia claimed to have all but taken over the entire city.
Although Chabad communities in Ukraine had originally agreed to remain in the country with their congregants, they have since decided to help evacuate community members as soon as possible. Such an option was also considered in Kherson.
"I am a [Chabad] emissary, and I cannot flee as long as there are Jews here, no way. For now, the situation, in terms of the shootings, has de-escalated, and the Jews here are not in danger," Wolf said, stressing that if a safe opportunity to leave Kherson arose, the community would, of course, consider it.
Wolf further said that the Jewish community has enough food at the moment, although in general in the city's food supply is running low.
We prepared in advance "and bought basic food staples – flour, sugar, buckwheat, oil, and water – and distributed them to Jews," he said.
Wolf reiterated his optimism, saying that "What matters is that no Jew got hurt. That is our mission, to help every Jew. Everything else is a bonus."
However, while for Wolf remaining in Ukraine was the right choice, Jonathan Markovitch, chief rabbi of Kyiv, had to flee.
On Tuesday evening, Markovitch was told to leave by the Ukrainian security agency along with family members and a group of 15 Jews after his life was deemed to be in danger. The security forces stressed that they consider the rabbi an important figure and want to ensure his safety.
The group crossed the border on Wednesday morning, and it is thanks to a senior member of the Ukrainian security service that they could escape so rapidly.
"We drove way beyond the speed limit in poorly paved roads," the rabbi's son Ariel Moskowitz said. When they arrived at the first checkpoint it turned out who their guardian angel was. "We were stopped at the checkpoint and a man took out his ID and showed us that he was a general at the secret service. He told the guards that our entire convoy is with him and we were allowed to pass through." The general also made sure they would be allowed to fill up their car at the gas station despite the employee there not allowing them to do so because he was low on supply. According to Moskowitz, the general warned him that he could be "treated like a traitor" if he refused to sell them the necessary amount of fuel.
"We passed through so many checkpoints on the way, it was frightening, improvised checkpoints with armed guards who had no training in firearms," the son said. He also recalled how a missile strike almost hit them. "There were also rumors on how armed Ukrainian gangs were on the loose, some for pillage, not just for fighting."
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