✡︎ Shalom & Good Shabbos! ✡︎
The terrible situation in Ukraine has been brewing for many years, instigated by corrupt politicians and opportunists inside and outside this wealthy eastern European nation. Ukraine's history includes human rights atrocities and the rise of Chassidism. It is from where my Father's family, OBM, emigrated in their journey for a better life in the United States.
Kavshiel, the angel who conquers evil, sent us two news stories this week about the Russian Ukrainian war. The first story is about a Ukrainian rabbi breaking his silence on the Russian aggression into his country.
On March 2nd, the chief rabbi of Ukraine released a video message calling for influential Russian Jews and rabbis to help stop the terrible war between Ukraine and Russia. Rabbi Moshe Reuven Asman of Ukraine said, “I didn’t leave, I'm here. Because I'm not an indifferent person, nor will I leave my community. I am a rabbi of Ukraine, and I am proud that I have the opportunity to save people. I am proud to be on the side of light, and not on the side of the killers,”
Ukrainian's State Emergency Service estimates that 2,000 civilians have died in the past week from war related injuries. This terrible loss of life along with major delivery disruptions in utilities, transportation, food, and medical care motivated the rabbi to call for help. God willing his appeal will be influential in a cease fire agreement.
How many people have died in Ukraine invasion?
Why hasn't Rabbi Asman spoken out against the nearly 75,000 unborn Ukrainian civilians who died from abortion in 2019? Do the usual reasons apply? Disinterest, ignorance, fear of reprisals from pro-abortion activists? Legal abortion provides a state with legal precedent to murder other targeted groups. With anti-semitism growing rapidly across the globe along with Russia's history of atrocities against Jews, we hope these rabbis don't wait too long to speak out against the mass murder of Ukrainians in the womb.
This article gives background about abortion in Ukraine.
Restrictive abortion laws force Poles to head for Ukraine