The Ukrainian government announced last week that the Babi Yar memorial site had been hit by Russian shelling on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv, but it was later revealed that only the antenna of the TV tower, 200 meters from the site, had been hit.
Babi Yar is a mass grave of 33,000 Kyiv Jews who were murdered for two days by the German Nazis and their Ukrainian aides. Last year a large monument was inaugurated on the site, and near it stand smaller and older monuments in memory of the Holocaust victims.
What is happening now in Ukraine also concerns us, because there is no other country in the world that had so much influence on Jewish culture and Zionism before the Holocaust.
Some talk about the anti-Semitism of the Ukrainians, but almost everywhere in Ukraine we come across a Jewish story.
Across Ukraine there are about a hundred tombs of the righteous and sites of Jewish heritage, about a third of which are located in districts occupied by the Russians in the last two weeks, or where battles are still being fought at the time of writing.
The steppes of Ukraine were the cradle of storks.
Some of the largest Hasidic sects in Israel were founded in Ukraine, such as Viznitz and Belz and others.
The lintel of one of the houses in Odessa reads in Ukrainian and Hebrew: "Modern Israel was born here."
In this building operated the offices of the "Odyssey Committee" which raised funds for the pioneers of the first aliyah, before the establishment of the JNF. In fact, practical Zionism was born in Ukraine. Rabbi Shmuel Mohliver, one of the fathers of religious Zionism Israel, even before Herzl founded the Zionist movement.
Modern Israel was born here, Photo: Dorit Raphael
Many of Israel's leaders were born in Ukraine, such as Ze'ev Jabotinsky, President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, and Prime Ministers Moshe Sharett, Levi Eshkol, and Golda Meir, and Yuli Edelstein and Ze'ev Elkin will be separated.
Great creators lived there, such as the writers Shai Agnon, Ahad Ha'am, Aharon Appelfeld, and the poets Etzag, Bialik, Tchernichovsky, Natan Yonatan, Yaakov Orland, and others.
Unfortunately, some of our tourist sites are currently in danger of being destroyed by the bombs, and it is unclear if we will be able to return for a walk there.
Here are some of them in the battle zones:
Southern Ukraine
The Russians also invaded Ukraine from the south, the Crimean peninsula.
The first city to be conquered was Kherson, the city of the Malbim. At the beginning of the last century, a magnificent synagogue was built there, which has been renovated in recent years by Chabad. The book "Beit Avraham" was written there by the author The birth of Israel's second prime minister, Moshe Sharett.
Odessa was bombed this week, and there are reports of heavy damage to city houses.
In Odessa there was one of the most important Jewish communities in the world.
At the beginning of the last century, many Jewish artists and Zionist activists lived and worked there.
Copper signs hang on 22 of their homes in the city, and there is a hiking trail following the literary and Zionist history of the city.
Several newspapers in Hebrew and Yiddish were published in the city, including the Torah magazine "Yagdil Torah".
A sign in front of the Tchernichovki House, Photo: Dorit Raphael
The port of Odessa is also called the "Gate of Zion", due to its being the departure point for immigration to Eretz Israel.
From there, Rabbi Nachman sailed from Breslav to Jaffa, and the aliyah of the Ga'a students to Jerusalem left. The third aliyah began in 1919 with the sailing of the ship "Ruslan" from the port of Odessa, with 670 pioneers on board.
Compared to today, it is as if 80,000 immigrants would come to Israel in one day.
Before the establishment of the state, illegal immigrant ships also sailed from there.
These and other stories are immortalized in the Jewish Museum "Roots Tower" in Odessa.
In the south is also Donetsk, which Putin easily conquered at the beginning of the war, declaring it an independent republic.
There is also the city of Mariupol, where battles are now being fought.
Central Ukraine
The Russians are currently storming the capital, Kyiv, where the Malbim, Rabbi David Square, and Ben Rabbeinu Tam are buried. Golda Meir was also born there.
When traveling south you come to the town of Uman, where the score of Rabbi Nachman of Breslav.
Uman is located on the main road from Kiev to Odessa, and Russian forces will probably crush it as well before passing through it.
The nearby Bog River leads us to the town of Breslav, where the tomb of Rabbi Natan, Rabbi Nachman's important disciple.
East of Kiev is the town of Haditch, where Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Ladi, the founder of Chabad, is buried. Every year there is a great celebration near his Zion.
This week we heard on the news about battles in the city of Zhytomyr.
It was a very important station in the spread of Hasidism, and there were seminaries for the training of rabbis and dayanim.
There were Hebrew printing presses in Zhitomir that helped to perpetuate and spread the light of the Torah.
Rabbi Ze'ev Wolf, author of the book "Or Hameir" and one of the greatest students of the Maggid of Mezritz, and Rabbi Aharon, author of the book "Toldot Aharon" and a student of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, lived in the city.
The old synagogue where Bialik used to pray in his youth, survived the Holocaust, and is a tourist attraction.
The renovated Baal Shem Tov synagogue, Photo: Wikipedia
In the same district is also the city of Zhibuz, where the renovated synagogue of the founder of the Hasidic movement, the Baal Shem Tov, is located.
The tombs of his grandson Rabbi Baruch, Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshil of Apta, the "Lover of Israel", Rabbi Ze'ev of Kitzis and others are also located in Mezibuz.
In the city of Berdychiv is Kiryat Kdoshet Levy, near the tomb of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdychiv, "Advocate of Israel."
It is believed that even today he recommends well in heaven to those who pray near his grave for success and blessing.
One of the highlights of our trip to Ukraine was singing near his grave his famous prayer "Gat von Avraham" (Gd of Avraham), which devotees usually sing before the Havdalah on Saturday. Those who do not know the words, join in the humming of the melody.In Berdychiv lived the writers Shalom Aleichem and Mendele, a bookseller, and on our trip there we also visited places mentioned in their books.
The synagogue in the city of Kherson, Photo: Meital Yasur Beit Or
Western Ukraine
Most of the tourist sites in Ukraine are located in the west of the country.
At the beginning of the war, the Russians conquered Chernivtsi, which was charming in preserving its beautiful houses.
The city is famous in the Jewish world thanks to Rabbi Mordechai of Chernivtsi, who was buried in the town of Entebbe, and also thanks to the writer Aharon Appelfeld, a native of the city.
Nearby is Festov, where we pray for the Zion of Rabbi Avraham the Angel.
There was a magnificent synagogue there that was destroyed by the Ukrainians and the Germans, and in its place is a large black stone monument, where we used to pray a guide on our trips.
Some of Israel's greats lived in the city of Lvov, such as Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Ashkenazi, the author of "Hacham Tzvi."
In 1686 a cannon shell hit his house, and his wife and daughter were killed in the collapse of the house.
(History goes back?).
Rabbi David Halevi Segal, author of the 16th Torah (Torah Tori), Rabbi Yehoshua Falk Katz, author of the Sama, Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathanson, author of a series of responsa books "Ask and Answer", and others are also buried there.
Nadborna, Photo: Yaakov Maor
North of Lvov lies a small town called Belza.
There the Rebbe Shalom Rokach, "Minister Shalom", founded the Chassidut that spread all over the world. The first "well well", and more.
In the town you can see the remains of the synagogue built by the Rebbe, inspired by the huge and glorious "World Center" built in Jerusalem today.
Near the border with Poland is the city of Viznitz, where the "Tzemach Tzadik" and "Emri Baruch" scores have been renovated.
A short distance away is Sadigura, where Saint Israel of Rozin and his sons are buried.
At the western end of Ukraine lies the town of Munkács, where a glorious Chassidut was established by Rabbi Shlomo Shapira.
In Munkatch we ascend to the graves of the Rebbe of the "Minchat Eliezer", the author of "Derchei Teshuvah", and Rabbi Issachar Berish of Zidichov.
In the town of Nadborna are the sites of the tombs of the Admors, the most prominent of whom were Rabbi Issachar Ber Leifer and his son Mordechai.
What will be left of this beauty after the war?
Can we go for a walk there again?
We will know this only after the fighting.
The author is the owner of the blog 'And Lead Us for Peace' for religious tourism
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