An unmanned aerial vehicle launched by Russia toward the city of Zaporizhzhia in eastern Ukraine was intercepted and hit the Joint's "Chesed Michael" complex in the city. The incident did not lead to any injuries, but the building was damaged.
The city is near the frontline, some 25 kilometers from Russian forces, and explosions could be heard there around the clock. Lately, there has been an escalation in strikes on main cities in Ukraine.
The rabbi and Chabad emissary of the city, Rabbi Nahum Ehrentreu, reported that some of the rooms that were damaged did not have mezuzot on the doors. According to the rabbi, "A few weeks ago, I hung up mezuzot in the building, and I'm sure that that's what protected everyone who was inside it. He added that "two rooms that were damaged did not have mezuzot."
He explained that the two rooms "were rented to someone who removed them. Last month, we put 500 mezuzot in Jewish homes. There is an amazing demand for them; even non-Jews ask for mezuzot in their buildings because they protect them."
Rabbi Ehrentreu noted that despite a large part of the community leaving, there are still approximately 1,800 Jews, out of the approximately 5,000 who lived there before the war. "We have three prayer services a day. The war caused many Jews to get close to the community, and we support them with food, encouragement, prayer, and classes," he said.
The Chairman of the Ukrainian Jewish Federation Council, Rabbi Meir Stambler, addressed the incident and said that "Rabbi Ehrentreu's dedication is an example of the tremendous strength of the rabbis of Ukraine."
The Federation of Jewish Communities in Ukraine also condemned the attacks, stating that there has been a worrying increase in damage to religious institutions.
In its statement, it said: “Over the past year, there has been a troubling increase in damage to Jewish religious buildings. We condemn attacks on civilian populations in general and on religious institutions in particular. It is time to stop the deadly fire directed at Ukraine. This time it ended in a miracle, thank G-d."
