Odessa Jews Prepare for Emergency Evacuation if Local Violence Worsens

Odessa, May 5, 2014

IFCJ's Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein with Jewish students in Ukraine. Photo: IFCJ/Eva Geller. IFCJ's Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein with Jewish students in Ukraine. Photo: IFCJ/Eva Geller.
Odessa Jewish community leaders said Sunday that Jews in the city are preparing to evacuate if violence worsens in the western Ukrainian city. In the past few days, violent clashes between pro-Russian and nationalist forces resulted in more than 40 deaths, according to reports.

About 30,000 Jews live in Odessa. Representatives of the Ukrainian Jewish community insisted that the violence is not specifically targeting Jews. But Rabbi Refael Kruskal, who heads the Odessa-based Jewish philanthropic organization Tikva, said there were several Jews wounded in the clashes.

“Over the weekend we closed the [Great Choral] Synagogue [in Odessa]. We took all the students out of the center of the city where the violence was, because we were worried it was going to spread. We sent a text message to everybody in the community on WhatsApp that they should stay at home over the weekend,” Kruskal told the Jerusalem Post.

“If it gets worse, then we’ll take them out of the city. We have plans to take them both out of the city and even to a different country if necessary, plans which we prefer not to talk about which we have in place,” he added.

Kruskal is also wary that next weekend, which marks the anniversary of Soviet Russia’s victory over Germany in the Second World War, could get very violent. He is considering setting up a camp away from the city where 600 Jews could stay while the fighting transpires.

Other Odessa Jewish organizations also have evacuations plans in place, including the Migdal International Center of Jewish Community Programs. The local Jewish community and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews have 70 fueled buses prepared and waiting for the call to evacuate when needed, said local Chabad-Lubavitch emissary Rabbi Avraham Wolf.

Algemeiner.com

5/6/2014

See also
Prayers for peace and stopping of hostility in Lugansk Prayers for peace and stopping of hostility in Lugansk Prayers for peace and stopping of hostility in Lugansk Prayers for peace and stopping of hostility in Lugansk
During the Divine Liturgy at the Litany of the Fervent Supplication, special Petitions were read for peace and cessation of hostility in the Ukraine. At the Litany of the Departed prayers were offered up for those killed in the fratricidal war.
 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: “One of the most important concerns of our Church today is prayer and work for a resolution to what is currently happening in the Ukraine” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: “One of the most important concerns of our Church today is prayer and work for a resolution to what is currently happening in the Ukraine”
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill
 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: “One of the most important concerns of our Church today is prayer and work for a resolution to what is currently happening in the Ukraine” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: “One of the most important concerns of our Church today is prayer and work for a resolution to what is currently happening in the Ukraine”
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill
The Church must conduct pastoral work for the care of souls, pray, and make peace between people; but under no circumstances must it serve one or another political view, position, or concept.” This allows the Church to remain outside of a conflict, and carry on its work of bringing peace between the conflicting sides.
Statement of Interreligious Council of Russia concerning the situation in the Ukraine Statement of Interreligious Council of Russia concerning the situation in the Ukraine Statement of Interreligious Council of Russia concerning the situation in the Ukraine Statement of Interreligious Council of Russia concerning the situation in the Ukraine
On April 3, 2014, in the Danilovskaya hotel, under the chairmanship of head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin a regular working session of the Interreligious Council of Russia took place.
Comments
Here you can leave your comment on the present article, not exceeding 4000 characters. All comments will be read by the editors of OrthoChristian.Com.
Enter through FaceBook
Your name:
Your e-mail:
Enter the digits, seen on picture:

Characters remaining: 4000

Subscribe
to our mailing list

* indicates required
×