Rabbi Avraham Wolf, the chief rabbi of Odessa and southern Ukraine and a Chabad emissary in the city, and his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Wolf, took on a weighty sense of mission and commitment when they opened the unique "Family" orphanage in the city 21 years ago. Today (Thursday), with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they found themselves in a situation that, while disturbing, did not surprise them.
They opened the orphanage in order to help, as much as possible, those whose life circumstances made it difficult for them, including refugees, war survivors and victims of violence (all from a Jewish mother).
This morning, just after dawn, with the announcement of the attack by Russian forces on the port city on the Black Sea coast, the fact of the existence of the orphanage took on a resounding topical significance.
The girls in the Chabad orphanage,
The orphanage is home to about 120 girls and boys in two boarding schools (57 boys in the orphanage and 68 girls in the orphanage).
The children are from distressed families, as well as from families of refugees from the war zones between Russia and Ukraine, alongside orphans who lost their parents in tragic circumstances.
"The current events teach us, once again, that the story of the refugees is not only a memory of the past, but also our possession in the present," Rabbi Wolf tells Israel Today, who was not surprised by the current situation.
"We have organized ahead of time for a possible escalation and we are doing everything possible to make the hundreds of children in the Chabad orphanage in Odessa feel safe and calm." The area. The current studies also took place today at "Zoom".
Jewish children in an orphanage in Odessa, Ukraine,
The vast majority of the children speak Russian and some speak little Hebrew.
As part of the overall response to their needs, the place is accompanied by teachers, medical nurses, psychologists and adoptive families who live in the place and constitute for them as a family for everything.
"Fortunately, the children did not wake up from the explosions at five in the morning and are even happy that they are learning to zoom in and not going to school." A staff member said. "There are circumstances," says Rebbetzin Chaya Wolf. "Some of them have relatives in the fighting zone in Donbas and they are definitely worried about what is happening there," she said.
"The children are worried, but also happy that they do not have to go to school."
The children in the orphanage in Odessa, Ukraine,
One of them is 18-year-old Diana Rodenko, who came to the orphanage a year ago from the Donetsk region, where her mother is now.
"I am very worried," she told Israel Today.
"How can you not worry when you hear all these reports. I know nothing is wrong. They have been in a state of fighting for 7 years and now especially," the young woman said.
16-year-old Dima Abalayev sounds calmer: "I am not afraid of the situation, mainly because I know we are being taken care of and everything is fine. We are praying that this fighting will end quickly."
Rabbi Wolf concluded.
"Thank you for taking care of us in Israel." We will continue to pray, all of us together, for calm, peace and security for the community and all citizens of Ukraine. "
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/UIOA5AS4ZFAODDSJGFPWLJ7WZE.jpg)
