A chain of miracles for the Kherson rabbi. Public actions bring hope and support to people

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Wolf, a representative of Chabad in Kherson, Ukraine, continues to support his community amidst the war. In recent months, he has witnessed unusual events, the latest of which occurred last weekend.

In an interview with Arutz Sheva www.israelnationalnews.com – Israel National News, the rabbi spoke about how a Russian missile hit the synagogue’s roof, causing significant damage to the prayer hall and offices on the first floor.

“What happened to us is a true miracle,” noted Rabbi Wolf. “The missile entered the roof, destroyed the prayer hall and offices, but fortunately, no one was hurt.”

The shooting occurred at a time when no one was in the synagogue:

“It was quite late, when coming is dangerous due to the curfew.”

It is not the first time the rabbi’s family has avoided danger. Previously, when their car was attacked by a wedding drone that ended up in their path, the situations seemed hopeless: “I watched the video of this event many times. It was impossible to avoid, but we survived.”

In Kherson, life has turned into a constant trial, and organizing community life requires ingenuity and inner strength. The curfew prevents evening prayers, creating additional difficulties:

“By evening, people cannot be brought to the synagogue, and prayers during holidays cannot be held.”

For the Tishrei holidays, the rabbi made an extraordinary decision:

“There is a hotel not far from my house. We rented it so that people could celebrate the holiday and come to pray. We changed the prayer times for all the holidays.”

Daytime prayers also take place under the sign of danger. Kherson is located on the banks of the Dnieper, and shelling comes from the opposite bank, making the situation particularly difficult:

“Explosions are constantly heard, the distance to them is small. First, you hear the launch, and three seconds later — the impact. We have no alarms or warnings,” said Rabbi Wolf.

Nevertheless, according to the rabbi, the greatest miracle lies not only in the physical scale but also in spiritual enlightenment. The war has led many city residents to leave, but those who stayed have begun actively turning to God:

“It can be said that the overwhelming majority of non-Orthodox now come to prayers, although before the war they were not interested in the synagogue.” Against all odds, a minyan was gathered.

The conflict has radically changed the mission’s characteristics. Educational activities, central before the war, have completely ceased: “We were engaged in education, it was the main area of our work. Now all educational institutions operate only online. Holding school has become impossible due to the dangers for students.”

The present time requires focusing on survival.

“Now the main thing is really to save people. We take care of food, medications, and provide moral support. We pray for this to end, so we can return to normal life and routine.”