Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on April 2, 2022

Ukraines Jewish community has angrily refuted Russian claims that a synagogue in the historic city of Uman site of the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the revered founder of the Breslover Hasidim is being used as a weapons storage and transportation site by Ukrainian armed forces.

In a statement published on its Telegram channel on Tuesday, the United Jewish Community of Ukraine (UJCU) pushed back against allegations from the Russian Ministry of Defense that the synagogue had been taken over by Ukrainian nationalists.

Information about the use of synagogues in Uman by the military is not true, the statement declared. The United Jewish Community of Ukraine states that all synagogues and Jewish sites in Ukraine are used exclusively for their intended purpose, to carry out religious activities or to help members of Jewish communities and the local population.

At a Russian military briefing on Tuesday, Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov the chief spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense displayed images of uniformed men gathered in the vicinity of one of Umans several synagogues.

Konashenkov claimed that a member of the Jewish community of Uman had alerted the Russians to the presence of the troops.

It is the Kyiv regime, in violation of international humanitarian law and simply morality, that uses such facilities as points for collecting and transporting weapons and Nazis to participate in hostilities, Konashenkov said, invoking the Kremlins propaganda line that the invasion of Ukraine is a denazification operation.

Konashenkov referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys speech to the Knesset, Israels parliament, on March 20, in which the Ukrainian leader pointed out that Russian missiles had struck Uman on the first day of the war. Uman is a city visited by tens of thousands of Israelis every year, for a pilgrimage to the tomb of Nachman of Breslov. What will be left of all such places in Ukraine after this terrible war? Zelensky asked.

Konashenkov said that on March 21 the day after Zelenskys address to the Israeli legislators photographs captured the formation of two columns with nationalists on the grounds of the synagogue.

He added: I draw your attention to the fact that the property, weapons and ammunition stored in the synagogue building were first loaded by nationalists into dump trucks, and then disguised as bags with construction debris.

However, none of the four photographs displayed by Konashenkov appeared to show any movement inside the grounds of the synagogue, which is clearly demarcated by a fence encircling the building. The uniformed men shown loading a truck and boarding buses were gathered in the street outside the building an observation stressed by the UJCU, which stated: Even based on a photo published for provocative purposes, it is obvious that the gates of the synagogue are closed and no one is inside.

The UJCU added that the Rav Nachman Foundation in Uman confirms that the synagogue, the second largest in Ukraine, was closed from Rosh Hashanah which was celebrated in September 2021 and has not been used since.

Each year, Uman typically attracts thousands of Orthodox Jews who visit the city during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, to worship at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman.

Link:

Ukrainian Jews Rebut Russian Defense Ministry Claim That Synagogue in Historic City of Uman Was Used as Weapons Storage Site - Algemeiner

Category: Synagogue
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