German Officials Touched by Visit to Odessa Orphanage

A German Embassy delegation visited Odessa’s Mishpacha Orphanage, where they spent time with the Jewish children and observed relief efforts. They were gifted symbolic replica refugee passports in appreciation for the care the children received in Germany during the early days of the war.

This week, a high-ranking delegation from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine arrived in Odessa on an official visit, led by the Deputy Head of the Diplomatic Mission, Dr. Maximilian Rasch.

During the visit, Dr. Rasch met with the Chief Rabbi of Odessa and Southern Ukraine, Avraham Wolff. The parties discussed the activities of the city’s Jewish community amid the ongoing war, as well as the humanitarian assistance provided by Chabad Odessa to refugees, children, and adults — both Jews and members of other communities.

Following the meeting, the delegation visited the “Mishpacha” Jewish Orphanage, which operates under the auspices of Chabad in Odessa. The Embassy representatives met with a group of 30 out of the 123 children currently living in the institution. The children presented the guests with a symbolic and touching gift — a replica of the refugee passport issued to them by the German government during their stay in Germany at the start of the war, inscribed with the words: “Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world.”

At the conclusion of the visit, Dr. Rasch remarked that the meeting was “one of the most moving and powerful experiences of my life” and expressed heartfelt gratitude to Rabbi Wolff and the Chabad representatives in Odessa for their years of devoted service during this challenging time for Ukraine