Trucks Are Delivering Dairy Products to Ukraine Jews

By COLlive reporter

Jewish Ukraine is preparing for Shavuot amid the sounds of the ongoing war. Delivery trucks are making their way toward the Jewish communities all over the country, unloading pallets of diverse dairy products, meat, poultry and other basic products. The goods are about to be distributed by the rabbis of the communities and Chabad emissaries, to tens of thousands local Jewish families, on the occasion of Shavuot.

The trucks are visiting dozens of communities in the cities of Zhytomyr, Lviv, Uzhgorod, Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Berdytsov, Cherkasy, Karponitskyi, Kryvyi Rih, Kremenchuk, Poltava, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Uman, Odessa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Fromeysk, Kaminsky, Dnieper, Zaporizhzhia and more others.

The large-scale distribution system is run by Jewish Relief Network Ukraine (JRNU), which has been accompanying the Jewish communities in Ukraine since the collapse of the Iron Curtain.

The dairy ice creams, like the rest of the products included in the shipments, were produced in local food factories, under the supervision of the Kosher Committee in Ukraine headed by Rabbi Pinchas Vishetski, himself a Chabad emissary in Ukraine.

The food distribution campaign for Jews all over Ukraine for towards the upcoming holiday of Shavuos is a part of the extensive preparations of the Jewish communities in the country towards another holiday to be celebrated in the shadow of the fierce war.

“These days, a massive campaign is run, aimed to bring as many Jews as possible – including the youngest children – to the synagogues on the holiday to hear the Aseret Hadibrot, as the Rebbe instructed,” says Rabbi Shlomo Peles from JRNU. “The campaign is carried out by posters, brochures, invested media productions and more.”

Zelensky’s hometown, Kryvyi Rih, is one of the cities to receive milk shipments for the holiday. Rabbi Liron Edri, the city’s rabbi, says that the war hit their city badly, something that has been reflected in the challenges of managing the community.

“The city is one of the most industrial cities all around, including Europe and is considered to be one of the largest steel producers worldwide. Unfortunately, since the local port was blocked due to the continued attacks, the city is not capable of marketing its products,” says Rabbi Edri.

“More than a third of the city’s business in industry, remained without a livelihood. This urgent and important aid campaign is really helpful for the Jews of the city and leaves them in a reasonable financial situation, enabling them a life of dignity.”