For the Jewish community in Kharkiv, the past month has been full of activity and spiritual experiences: the blowing of the shofar for hundreds of Jews, the operation of the four species for all Jews in the region, prayers and gatherings during Sukkot at the Chabad Tabernacle, and more.
What was the most exciting moment? It’s not easy to decide…
The blowing of the shofar in the presence of hundreds, men, women, and children, praying that a good and quiet new year will be renewed for us. Setting a mezuzah in Nikita’s house when the whole family is happy knowing that now with the mezuzah the house will be more protected. My attempt to hold back the tears when the words of each vow are heard in the synagogue space.
Mark’s smile when he saw the four species we brought to him for hospitalization in the psychiatric ward. The five daughters of the Bat Mitzvah when they received a Jewish name in the reading of the Torah.
Benjamin, who arrived in Kharkov for the first time since the beginning of the war after being eight months in a village without Jews, when he told us that on Rosh Hashanah he prayed for two things: “The four species on the Sukkot holiday, and a light Torah book…”
To see my son saying the blessing on the Lulav to a Jewish soldier on the main street of the city. The blessing of priests from our priest who does not know how to read the holy language but repeats word for word with excitement after the cantor “God bless you and keep you.”
The unity when the whole community gathered together for the special audience performance with the singing, the dancing, the blessing on the hearth and the joy in the great sukkah. Moments that made everyone happy and forget about the difficult situation in the country.
Eighth assembly at night, an hour before curfew, all the lights on the streets and houses are turned off, there is only light in the Sukkah, where everyone sings together “Nye Bayos Ya Nikawa… Night Night Nikawa”.
Vitali, who just arrived at the synagogue for the first time, holds the Torah scroll tightly in his arms and dances with joy and tears. And old Moshe when he went up to the Torah on Simchat Torah and suddenly burst into the song “Lamir El…Messiah Wet gets a dirty face”.
So many special moments and to think that all these moments happened and are happening despite the missile alarms and the war.
Nothing will stop the Jewish people from being together in this special year – the year of the crowd.
