Posted on 12/27/24
| News Source: i24
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk joined Chabad emissaries and rabbis to light the menorah on Wednesday in the presidential bunker.
Organized by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU), preparations were made while remaining vigilant with respect to security concerns.
The ceremony came as Russia launched hundreds of missiles and drones at energy infrastructure throughout the country. Participation was limited over fears of safety amid the attack.
Zelensky lit a menorah given to his by Argentine President Javier Milei during his inauguration, with the ceremony led by Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki, Chabad emissary and Dnipro's chief rabbi.
Kaminezki voiced his support for Zelensky's leadership during the war. "We hope these Hanukkah lights will symbolize our victory," he said.
"Nearly three years into this war, despite today's terrorist attacks on civilians, we're prevailing against all odds – the few against the many, the supposedly weak against what was considered one of the world's strongest armies, the pure against the impure," Zelensky told the rabbis. "We will triumph because there is no alternative. I'm proud of you, our country's rabbis, for staying with us despite this brutal war when you could have fled."