Amid ongoing emergency conditions in Kyiv and continued drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital, the Jewish community is preparing for Shavuot with a range of programs and activities for Jews across the city. Public readings of the Ten Commandments will take place this year at multiple locations throughout Kyiv, allowing hundreds of Jews from the city and surrounding areas to experience the giving of the Torah together.

As he does each holiday, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv, Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, who also serves as the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine’s prison service, arranged for Jewish inmates in prisons to receive special food packages with traditional dairy dishes for Shavuot, along with informative pamphlets about the holiday and its customs. In addition, in preparation for the holiday, Torah classes on the meaning of Shavuot in both aggadah and halachah were delivered in the prisons over the past week.

“Our preparations for the giving of the Torah, from the public reading of the Ten Commandments at various sites to our support for Jewish soldiers and inmates, reflect the solidarity and mutual responsibility that define the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv. “We are showing that Torah and Jewish tradition are alive and present everywhere, in every situation, as we pray for a peaceful holiday.”

As part of these preparations, the community did not forget the Jewish soldiers serving on the front lines. Special Shavuot kits were sent to them, including explanatory booklets, festive ration packs for the holiday meals, and cheesecake. At the same time, the Jewish community of Kyiv, under the leadership of Rabbi Markovitch, is distributing humanitarian aid packages to thousands of needy individuals, seniors, and those living alone ahead of the upcoming holiday.