Chabad Lubavitch of Ukraine
Chabad-Lubavitch network in Ukraine
| Chabad in Ukraine
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Jewish religious and educational network |
| Headquarters | Dnipro (main hub) |
| Website | https://www.chabad.org/jewish-centers/country/Ukraine |
Chabad-Lubavitch maintains an extensive network of centres, synagogues, schools and social services across Ukraine, coordinated largely through the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU), founded in 1999. They support thousands of people through the Jewish Relief Network Ukraine (JRNU)
The movement's modern presence began in 1990 when the Rebbe sent the first permanent emissary couples.[1] By 2022, 192 emissary couples operated in 32 cities.[2]
Timeline
- 1990 – First permanent Chabad emissaries arrive; Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky establishes Chabad in Dnipro.[3]
- 1999 – Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU) founded.[4]
- 2014–2022 – Chabad centres in eastern Ukraine affected by conflict; many continue operations.
- 24 February 2022 – Full-scale invasion; Chabad network evacuates thousands and provides humanitarian aid.[5]
Chabad centres, synagogues, schools and groups by city
| City/Region | Centre/Group/School/Synagogue | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Dnipro | Menorah Center, Beit Chana Women's College | Synagogue, school, community hub |
| Kiev | Chabad-Lubavitch of Kyiv (Saksahanskoho 67), Or Avner Day School (Kiev), Perlina Kindergarten | Synagogue, school, kindergarten |
| Odessa | Or Avner Chabad Day School (Odessa), Mishpacha Orphanage, Beit Hakneset Chabad Lubavitch | School, orphanage, synagogue |
| Kharkiv | Ohr Avner Chabad School (Kharkiv), Yeshiva Ktana | School, yeshiva |
| Belaya Tserkov | Chabad Lubavitch of Belaya Tserkov | Community centre |
| Berdichev | Jewish Community of Berdichev | Community centre |
| Cherkassy | Chabad Lubavitch of Cherkassy, Ohr Avner School, Mikvah Rama | Community centre, school, mikvah |
| Chernihiv | Jewish Community of Chernihiv | Community centre |
| Chernivtsi | Chabad of Chernivtsi | Community centre |
| Donetsk | Chabad Lubavitch of Donetsk | Community centre |
| Hadiach | Heichel Admur Hazaken | Historic site |
| Ivano-Frankivsk | Chabad of Ivano-Frankivsk | Community centre |
| Izmail | Chabad of Izmail (Izmail) | Community centre |
| Kherson | Chabad Community of Kherson | Community centre |
| Khmelnytskyi | Jewish Community of Khmelnytskyi | Community centre |
| Korosten | Jewish Community of Korosten (Korosten) | Community centre |
| Kremenchuk | Jewish Community of Kremenchuk | Community centre |
| Kryvyi Rih | Jewish Community of Kryvyi Rih, Mikvah (Kryvyi Rih) | Community centre, mikvah |
| Luhansk | Jewish Community of Luhansk (Luhansk) | Community centre |
| Lviv | Chabad of Lviv | Community centre |
| Makiivka | Jewish Community of Makiivka (Makiivka) | Community centre |
| Mariupol | Jewish Community of Mariupol | Community centre |
| Melitopol | Jewish Community of Melitopol (Melitopol) | Community centre |
| Mykolaiv | Jewish Community of Mykolaiv | Community centre |
| Pervomaisk | Jewish Community of Pervomaisk (Pervomaisk) | Community centre |
| Poltava | Jewish Community of Poltava, Ohr Avner Day School | Community centre, school |
| Rivne | Jewish Community of Rivne (Rivne) | Community centre |
| Sumy | Jewish Community of Sumy (Sumy) | Community centre |
| Uzhhorod | Jewish Community of Uzhhorod (Uzhhorod) | Community centre |
| Vinnytsia | Jewish Community of Vinnytsia, Chabad House | Community centre |
| Zaporizhzhia | Jewish Community of Zaporizhzhia | Community centre |
| Zhytomyr | Jewish Community of Zhytomyr, Alumim Children Center | Community centre, children's centre |
Source:[6]
Key Chabad figures in Ukraine
| Name | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky | Chief Rabbi of Dnipro, head of Council of Hasidic Rabbis | Dnipro |
| Rabbi Avraham Wolff | Chief Rabbi of Odesa and southern Ukraine | Odessa |
| Rabbi Meir Stambler | Chairman, Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine | National |
Key funders
Chabad operations in Ukraine receive major support from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), UJA-Federation of New York, and individual philanthropists. During the 2022 war, JFNA and partners channelled millions in humanitarian aid through Chabad’s Jewish Relief Network Ukraine.[7]
The network’s flagship project, the Menorah Center in Dnipro — the largest Jewish community centre in the world — was financed primarily by Ukrainian oligarchs Ihor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Bogolyubov, who together contributed over US$100 million to its construction and ongoing operations.[8][9]
Notes
- ↑ https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/5834606/jewish/The-Jews-of-Ukraine-Mark-One-Year-of-War-and-Resolve.htm
- ↑ https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/5834606/jewish/The-Jews-of-Ukraine-Mark-One-Year-of-War-and-Resolve.htm
- ↑ https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/5834606/jewish/The-Jews-of-Ukraine-Mark-One-Year-of-War-and-Resolve.htm
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_Jewish_Communities_of_Ukraine
- ↑ https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/5834606/jewish/The-Jews-of-Ukraine-Mark-One-Year-of-War-and-Resolve.htm
- ↑ https://www.chabad.org/jewish-centers/country/Ukraine
- ↑ https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/6008797/jewish/Jewish-Philanthropies-Aid-to-Ukrainian-Jews-Continues-as-Crisis-Intensifies.htm
- ↑ https://www.jta.org/2012/10/31/world/in-dnepropetrovsk-a-giant-jewish-center-rises
- ↑ https://forward.com/news/breaking-news/184761/kolomoisky-and-bogolyubov-fund-menorah-center/