At Babi Yar Memorial, Zelensky Backs Israel

At a memorial ceremony with shluchim at Babi Yar, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted the struggle against an “axis of evil,” describing it as “a war of the West fighting for its life against a bloodthirsty coalition bent on wars and conquering territories of its rivals, at the cost of lives.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, fresh from the UN General Assembly, attended the memorial ceremony at Babi Yar, marking 83 years since the horrific massacre of Kyiv’s Jews by Nazi Germans and their collaborators in 1941. In his speech, the Jewish president alluded to Israel’s current conflicts, emphasizing a “shared struggle against the axis of evil.”

The ceremony, organized by the President’s office with assistance from the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU), saw attendance from FJCU Chairman Rabbi Meyer Stambler, his deputy Rabbi Refael Rutman, and Chabad emissaries including Rabbi Mordechai Levenharts from Kyiv, Rabbi Yosef Segal from Poltava, and Rabbi Yonatan Markovich from Kyiv. Dozens of ambassadors from around the world were also present.

Zelensky, maintaining his predecessors’ tradition despite the ongoing Russian invasion, recalled the murder of 30,000 Kyiv Jews within two days. He described how victims, including pregnant women, were forced to walk the “path of death” from central Kyiv to the ravine on the city’s outskirts.

While typically avoiding explicit support for Israel, Zelensky hinted at the current conflicts in Israel’s south and north, including the elimination of Nasrallah. He stressed that the world still faces a joint struggle against an “axis of evil,” describing it as “a war of the West fighting for its life against a bloodthirsty coalition bent on wars and conquering territories of its rivals, at the cost of lives.”

Following the ceremony, Zelensky inquired with Rabbis Stambler and Rutman about preparations for the High Holidays in Ukraine’s Jewish communities. Rabbi Stambler remarked, “As President Zelensky said, the Jewish people’s fight in Israel against those who wish them harm, like Ukraine’s fight against those threatening its independence, is a battle of light against darkness.”

This somber commemoration comes as Ukraine’s Jewish community enters its third wartime holiday season, facing unprecedented challenges. Amid intensifying combat, severe power outages, and sanitation crises, a massive military mobilization has swept up many Ukrainian Jews.

In response, the FJCU is bringing Rosh Hashanah observances directly to Jewish soldiers on the front lines. Over the past weeks, FJCU volunteers have traversed the 620-mile front, delivering custom holiday kits to troops. These packages include Ukrainian-translated prayer books, traditional skullcaps, pocket Psalms, and holiday essentials from honey to Sabbath candles, alongside practical items like canned goods and hygiene supplies.

In an unprecedented move, the FJCU distributed 35 shofars across various military positions, training a Jewish soldier at each location to sound the traditional ram’s horn. This ensures that the iconic Rosh Hashanah trumpet will echo across the battlefield for the first time.

“The soldiers’ response was overwhelming,” reports Rabbi Yaakov Sinyakov, who spearheaded the military outreach. “It reinforced their connection to their faith and heritage, even in the midst of conflict.”

The FJCU’s efforts extend beyond the front lines. Working with Chabad emissaries in 30 Ukrainian cities, they’ve dispatched similar holiday kits to 51,000 Jewish households nationwide, reaching communities in 169 locations across the country.

Rabbi Stambler noted that despite the ongoing war, synagogues across Ukraine are expected to be filled for Rosh Hashanah services. “We’re also providing festive meals for thousands,” he added. “Our deepest hope is that this new year will usher in peace, prosperity, and ultimate redemption, leaving the hardships of the past behind.”