Shluchim, friends, and supporters arrived from across Ukraine and Europe on Rosh Chodesh Sivan for the Chanukas Habayis of the new “Beis Binyamin” Tomchei Temimim yeshiva, in Anatevka, the picturesque village near Kyiv.

The newly built Yeshiva Ketana was established with an investment of 8 million euros by a generous donor, and is scheduled to open its doors this coming Elul, as registration for incoming first-year students nears completion. The campus was designed as a large, modern, multi-purpose complex, with every detail carefully planned to give bochurim the best possible environment for learning Torah and Chassidus.

At the event, attendees heard from Rabbi Shmuel Asman, founder of the yeshiva, who has spent the past several years working day and night to bring the project from concept to reality. He worked together with leading educators and internationally recognized architects to create a campus meant to support serious growth in learning, in line with the Rebbe’s desire and nachas.

Guests were especially struck by the fact that the foundation stone for the campus was laid just three days after the war in Ukraine began. Despite the uncertainty, construction continued steadily, driven by strong emunah and confidence that the yeshiva would stand and flourish. The donor, who asked to remain anonymous, expressed confidence that the institution would soon become a strong center of Torah and Chassidus in Anatevka.

The Chanukas Habayis featured the recitation of the Rebbe’s kapitel by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Kaplan, who moved from Yerushalayim to Anatevka to serve as menahel ruchni of the yeshiva.

Registration for the yeshiva opened recently and will close shortly. The yeshiva will accept only bochurim who are ready to dedicate themselves fully to learning, from morning until night. The campus includes a large Beis Medrash, a library gallery overlooking the study hall, elegant dormitory rooms with private showers and bathrooms, a dining hall with a professional kitchen, a mikvah, a large swimming pool, laundry facilities, and an underground bunker with seating for 100.

The ceremony was attended by Rabbi Moshe Asman, Chief Rabbi of Ukraine; Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Asman, shliach to Cyprus; Rabbi Moshe Axelrod, shliach and Chief Rabbi of Moldova; Rabbi Eliyahu Badichi, shliach to Kyiv and a member of the yeshiva staff; Rabbi Yair Beitch, shliach to Cyprus; and Rabbi Avraham Bleich, director of the Podol community in Kyiv; Rabbi Mordechai Levenharts, shliach to eastern Kyiv; Rabbi Shalom Gopin, shliach to the Lugansk community in Kyiv; Rabbi Yitzchak Gruzman, shliach and chairman of Chabad institutions in Rishon LeZion; Rabbi Shaul Horowitz, shliach and Chief Rabbi of Vinnytsia; Rabbi Avraham Wolff, shliach and Chief Rabbi of Odessa and southwestern Ukraine; Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Wolff, shliach and Chief Rabbi of Kherson; Rabbi Schneur Viegler, shliach and director of the Jewish community in Odessa.

Also present were Rabbi Sendy Wilshansky, director of Beis Rivkah in Milan; Rabbi Levi Edrei, representative of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Eretz Yisrael; Rabbi Yitzchak Lowenthal, head shliach to Denmark; Rabbi Baruch Mendelsohn, shliach to Kyiv; Rabbi Dovid Nachshon, chairman of Chabad institutions in Nof HaGalil; Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Nachshon, shliach in Dnipro; and Rabbi Nachum Tamarin, shliach to Zhytomyr and CEO of the Association of Jewish Communities in Western Ukraine.