?As this Purim
edition of WWW is about to go to
press, we are witnessing terrible news from Ukraine.
We humans have defense mechanisms
which give us the ability to emotionally separate ourselves from unpleasant
realities. As a result, when we hear bad news, we can allow ourselves to be
somewhat cushioned through detachment. We have the ability to create a distance
between ourselves and the tragedy we hear about. While we are saddened to learn
of an awful event, we are grateful that we and our loved ones are safe.
Nevertheless, we are jolted out of
our detachment when we hear about a tragedy which involves family or friends.
That’s what happened to me as the Russians invaded Ukraine. Two of my good
friends, Rabbi Raphael Kruskal and Rabbi Jeremy Posen, are the managing director
and CFO, respectively, of the Tikva Children’s Home in Odessa, Ukraine. This
orphanage was founded by Rabbi Shlomo Baksht, who serves as its rav as well as chief rabbi of Odessa.
Tikva is an orphanage, rescuing
Jewish children from the street or state-run orphanages and providing them with
education, medical care, and a loving home. But more than that, Tikva
encompasses a feeding program for impoverished Jews, a shul, daycare center,
Jewish high schools, and more. I know many supporters of this incredible
institution, a number of whom live in the UK.
As soon as it was apparent that the
Russians had, in fact, launched an attack on Ukraine, Rabbis Kruskal and Posen
(with the aid and assistance of their key balabatim
overseas) formulated an emergency evacuation plan. I am not at liberty to
discuss the complex particulars, but “security experts” from Israel were
dispatched and on the scene within hours. These highly trained Israelis were
critical to the success of the plan.
Money was needed as well. Although
the U.S. is suffering from the worst inflation in years, the dollar is still
the best and most efficient method to cut through “red tape” (no pun intended)
in order to acquire vital supplies, “official” documents, and transport. Rabbi
Kruskal, received a suitcase filled with many $100 dollar bills from an
overseas friend.
In the early hours of Friday morning,
February 25th (with air raid sirens blaring and the sound of
explosions nearby), Rabbis Posen and Kruskal, together with their staff, and
the entire orphanage – approximately 330 people – departed on the dangerous
journey out of Odessa headed toward the Romanian border in six buses and two
vans.
In the best of circumstances, the
trip by bus would be long and taxing, but in a war zone it would turn out to be
30 hours. The bus caravan, protected by extremely capable Israeli security
(supplied with intel from Israeli satellites) helped guide the buses around the
most dangerous areas while reassuring the nervous bus drivers that all would be
okay. Additionally, the Israeli security team figured out where and how to
acquire diesel fuel. Suffice to say that the Tikva drivers were not only
protected but they were being paid extremely well. The majority of buses in
Ukraine were parked and their drivers were no where to be found.
As the journey began, Rabbi Posen
carefully loaded the sifrei Torah belonging to the beautiful Tikva
Shul onto the buses. Tearful psalms were recited as the buses departed.
Although there was no question that the convoy would need to travel on Shabbos,
it was nevertheless emotionally difficult for the staff of the orphanage and
many of the orphans to not have anything resembling a normal Shabbos.
The caravan used winding back roads,
many not paved, just dirt and stones, and the buses rattled, bounced, and
shook for hours on end. Very late Friday night, under the cover of darkness,
the caravan stopped to refuel. Everyone was grateful to disembark (quietly) and
get some air. Rabbi Kruskal, standing on a rock, picked up a becher, filled it with grape juice, and
loudly recited kiddush. Upon seeing
the rabbi mount the rock with the intention to “say a prayer to praise G-d and
welcome the Jewish Sabbath,” the lead bus driver took out his cell phone and
recorded the moment. Tears were streaming down the driver’s face. Following kiddush, he said, “I am humbled by the
faith of the Jews and the commitment of their rabbis to protect their children.”
The video of Rabbi Kruskal’s kiddush
has gone viral. It is a kiddush Hashem!
Finally, just before 5 p.m. on Shabbos
day (February 26), the caravan reached a predetermined “safe site” in the far
west of Ukraine. It was an unused camping facility which an advance group of
security officials had located and procured. A truckload of food, with a
security escort, arrived two hours later.
I just finished reading an
incredible book by Gordon Thomas entitled Operation
Exodus. It is the amazing and detailed history of the Chesapeake Bay steamer,
the President Warfield, which started
out in Baltimore and became the famous blockade runner known as Exodus 1947. While reading of the
miraculous events which led to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948,
I thought, “Who is like the Jewish people?” In the last few days, I have been
reminded of that and what it means for Jews to be ish echad b’lev echad (as one person one heart)! That is the gift
bestowed upon us by G-d at Sinai! I am grateful beyond words that we have G-d’s
precious gift of Israel, A gift that must never be taken for granted!
I also have thought about what it
means to be a hero – that at certain moments, unprepared as we may feel, we are
called upon to do something incredible. In the Purim story, Queen Esther is
reminded by Mordechai that she may very well have been put on earth “for a
moment such as this.” As Esther rose to the challenge, so did the rabbis and
staff of Tikva orphanage in Ukraine.
May Hashem have mercy on His
children. May we celebrate Purim with joy as Haman (and all of Amalek) is
destroyed.
For more information about the Tikva Children’s Home,
see www.tikvaodessa.
