Ukraine
Last week, Jewish communities worldwide celebrated Purim, a joyous holiday that includes dressing up in costume, giving charity, and exchanging gifts. In Ukraine, this was the third Purim Jews have celebrated since Russia’s full-scale invasion. With each year, the Jewish community feels more pride in their Ukrainian identity.
The World
By Daniel Ofman
Simcha Chabad Jewish community center, school and synagogue.
Daniel Ofman/The World
At the Simcha Chabad Jewish community in Kyiv, Ukraine, the congregation gathered last week for Purim — the third one they have observed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country.
They did a traditional reading of the book of Esther — a biblical tale about a Jewish woman named Esther who saved her people from Haman, an adviser to the Persian king who hatched a plan to decimate the kingdom’s Jews. The reversal of that destructive decree has been celebrated among Jews for more than 2,000 years.
Nearly every time the name Haman came up during the reading, the congregation made a bunch of noise, booing the villainous Haman.
David Sarakhanov said that the story related to their plight with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.
“All Russian people are like Haman but for Ukrainian people, not for only Jews,” he said.
Like the rest of the country, with each year, Ukraine’s Jewish community is embracing their Ukrainian identity more and more. The war has inspired more national pride, a drive to speak Ukrainian, and a stronger feeling of patriotism.
In the past, many saw themselves as Jews living in Ukraine rather than Ukrainian Jews. For decades, the Soviet leadership tried to squash both Jewish and Ukrainian national identities. Now, the war has changed that.
Olya Drach, David Sarakhanov mom, who spoke in rapid Ukrainian said that she feels strongly about her Jewish Ukrainian identity and she prefers to avoid speaking Russian. But the process of switching from Russian to Ukrainian among the wider Jewish community has been slow.
“We do have a problem with the Ukrainian language in the Jewish community, she said.”
Still, she said that she sees some promising developments — like the translation of religious texts into Ukrainian.
Galina Stalinskaya, who works with the Simcha Chabad Jewish community, said that “The younger generation is speaking more Ukrainian and all the events are in Ukrainian.”
Galina Stalinskaya (far left) and others at a Purim gathering last week. Daniel Ofman/The World
At home, she said, “People speak a mix of languages,” but overall, there’s a desire to develop both Jewish and Ukrainian identities.
Stalinskaya said that her kids, who grew up in an independent Ukraine, haven’t faced Jewish slurs, which she said was common when she was growing up in the Soviet Union.
Despite many challenges, Jewish life, and Jewish identity is also embraced as the Ukrainian Jewish community steps up to help military families and those who have been displaced by war.
Rabbi Moti Levenharts and Devorah Levenharts are the leaders of the Simcha Chabad Jewish community.
Devorah Levenharts dressed in costume for Purim. Daniel Ofman/The World
Devorah Levenharts said that in the early days of the war, many people outside of Ukraine asked her and her husband why they didn’t flee.
“If you’re here, at this moment, that means that you have a task — maybe we were sent here specifically for this moment. So, we couldn’t abandon our community at this difficult time.”
“The Jewish community is like a spiritual bomb shelter,” she said, adding, “It’s a place that’s always open. The synagogue never closed since the start of the war.”
Rabbi Moti Levenharts (center) in costume for Purim. Daniel Ofman/The World
When people lacked food, shelter, or electricity, they came to the Jewish community center, which is also a synagogue and school.
Rabbi Moti Levenharts said that there are children at the school who are living with their grandparents because both of their parents are in the service.
These families, he said, require special attention and assistance.
Lyuba Wenger (right) and Ludmila Ponomareva (left) picking up their care packages at the Simcha Chabad Jewish community in Kyiv, Ukraine.
He also said that the community tries to support those who have been internally displaced.
“We try to help them spiritually and physically. We’ve hired people who have been displaced by the war. It’s important for people to know that they matter, that we value them, and the work they do for our community.”
Another focus for them is caring for the elderly especially during Purim.
During Purim, some older people, like Ludmila Ponomareva, came to pick up care packages.
“There was a time when we had to hide our Jewish identity, like to get into university. Now, things have changed, and we can be proud to be Jewish,” she said.
For her, that means showing up to events at the center, and showing Jewish pride. She also said that she’s proud to be Ukrainian and that she speaks the language fluently.
Ponomareva’s friend, Lyuba Wenger, was standing nearby, wearing a vyshyvanka, a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt.
She showed her star of David necklace. She said that this combination — the vyshyvanka and the star of David — represented her pride in both of her identities: Ukrainian and Jewish.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Email Address
I have read and agree to your Privacy Policy.
Related Content
Categories
Arts, Culture & MediaConflictConflict & JusticeLifestyleLifestyle & BeliefReligionSacred NationUkraine