Rabbi Who Fled Ukraine: "We Never Believed War Would Break Out"

One of the well-known recordings of the Russia-Ukraine war, from the Jewish side, was of Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm, Chabad emissary in Zhytomyr, reciting the traveler's prayer on a plane as he fled with other Jews from Ukraine to Israel. "We had to flee due to the Russian front approaching our town, Zhytomyr. We had no other choice," he says painfully in a conversation with 'Hidabroot'.

Rabbi Wilhelm also arrived in Zhytomyr during a complex period. "My first days in the city were during the collapse of the communist 'Iron Curtain'. I was actually one of the few who made the journey from Israel to Ukraine at that time. Most of the Jews from the Soviet Union made the opposite journey - from Ukraine and Russia to Israel, taking advantage of the weakening of the communist 'Iron Curtain', and later its final collapse.

"I remember the surprise that struck me when I arrived in Zhytomyr, 29 years ago for the first time," he recalls. "The city was then a true spiritual wasteland. But despite the difficulties, in my heart, I thanked every moment for the privilege of being the emissary of the Rebbe of Lubavitch, as mentioned despite the distant and underdeveloped place".

Alongside the Jewish migration, which increased over time and as the last remnants of the 'Iron Curtain' vanished, hundreds of Jews who nevertheless remained living in the place greeted Rabbi Wilhelm. "Until the collapse of communism about 15,000 Jews lived in the city," he notes. "That number decreased significantly with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but Jews still remained there, and not only in Zhytomyr but throughout western Ukraine".

Rabbi Wilhelm's reference to the rest of the Jews in western Ukraine did not come in an empty space: "Today I serve as the chief rabbi of the whole of western Ukraine, although I came to serve only as a rabbi in Zhytomyr. After I started operating in Zhytomyr, I realized I had to take care of the remaining Jews living in western Ukraine, even those not part of Zhytomyr district. The reason was simple: at that time I was the only rabbi in all of western Ukraine. I realized that I could not neglect the Jews living in the area without a rabbinic figure, and sometimes even without any connection to Judaism".

Many of the Jews, whom he now knows well, lived in his early days in the city without being distinguishable from their non-Jewish neighbors. Later on, he would bring about a real revolution in the region, and many of those Jews would come to recognize their Father in Heaven thanks to his activities.

Rabbi Wilhelm's operational area is vast, and Jews live at great distances from each other. "Ukraine is divided into 28 districts, with each district having dozens of villages and towns," he explains. "Over the years, I discovered Jews in each of these areas. In Zhytomyr district alone, I found about a hundred spots where Jews reside. Subsequently, others from other districts approached me, and I began serving as a rabbi there as well".

In the list of cities and towns under Rabbi Wilhelm's patronage are names that evoke a thrill among hundreds of thousands of Jews around the world, especially those familiar with the Chasidic world. These include the cities of Chernivtsi, Vizhnitz, Ungvar, and even Berdychiv, where the 'defender of Israel', Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, lived, alongside other cities that were a destination for great rabbis and thousands of Jews who lived there in past years.

In essence, Rabbi Wilhelm's activities spanned an area bordering Romania and Belarus. Zhytomyr's proximity to the border recently proved to be the town's Achilles' heel. "The city's location just one kilometer from Belarus helped the local residents in some respects during quieter days, but with the outbreak of the war, it became a stumbling block due to the proximity of the front to Zhytomyr".

Discovering Jews During War

Despite Rabbi Wilhelm's activities, the Jewish presence in western Ukraine has not grown over the years but has rather shrunk. "The Jews prefer to move to Israel or other countries," he explains. "Still, it is important to provide those who remain in Ukraine, and there are many, with the necessary spiritual and also material framework. Because despite everything, Ukraine remains a Jewish stronghold".

On this Jewish point that remains in Ukraine over the years, Rabbi Wilhelm says: "There is a witty Jewish proverb telling of the last Jew in Berdichev who decided to make aliyah to Israel, but when he boarded the train, he discovered dozens of Jews from the town were accompanying him as a farewell gesture on his way to Israel... This proverb holds some truth. In Ukraine, Jews are always discovered, even when it seems there are no more Jews in the area. I saw this myself. When I arrived in Zhytomyr, I was sure that within five or six years there wouldn't be a single Jew left here, and it didn't happen".

How many Jews are there across Ukraine?

"On the eve of the war, our estimate was that there were around a quarter of a million Jews living across Ukraine. In Zhytomyr itself lived about three thousand Jews, and in the entire district another three thousand. In all of western Ukraine at that time, there were about thirty to forty thousand Jews. But since the war broke out, the numbers have changed completely. Many Jews fled the country, and others moved from city to city. The number of Jews in Zhytomyr, for example, is now about a quarter of what it was before - about 700, according to various estimates.

"On the other hand," he notes, "in other cities in western Ukraine many more Jews have been added, most of them refugees. Interestingly, even in Zhytomyr, with the outbreak of the war, we discovered many Jews who were not connected to the community until then, and due to the dire straits became part of the community. In fact, about a hundred of the 700 Jews that are now known to the community in Zhytomyr were not previously known to us".

Why are new Jews suddenly discovered?

"The reason is of course the war. It began with many local Jews wishing to leave, and the community provided them with responses, which was probably visible. Jews who were not community members recognized the mutual aid and assistance - and decided to join as well. Others came due to the Jewish spark that sometimes awakens in difficult times.

"It is important to understand that we strive to assist Jews with various means, including medicines and essential supplies. These things are critical for those living in war zones. Additionally, during the war, I was privileged to help more than thirty Jews put on tefillin for the first time in their lives. One of those Jews was a father of a family that fled from a remote village in a Russian-occupied area, and they arrived in Zhytomyr. The daughter joined the community's school, and now she knows for the first time what the 'Shema' is and who Moshe Rabbeinu is".

This reality of such distant Jews existed in a lesser presence with the dissolution of the Soviet Union: "When we arrived, there were more Jews in the city familiar with Judaism, even among the more distant ones. Some secretly studied Torah. Others heard about figures like the Rebbe of Rivenitz. Many who did not, knew about Jews who secretly observed Judaism, or that a part of their families maintained Torah and mitzvot. Today, as mentioned, the situation is different: in some cases, Ukrainian Jews of 2023 are Jews who for three generations do not know any Jewish concepts. In such cases, even discovering their Jewishness happens almost by accident when it is surprisingly revealed to them that if the mother is Jewish, then the grandchildren are as well".

What do you do with these unfortunate facts?

"I am in the place I am not to answer questions, but to make those questions arise from those people," Rabbi Wilhelm defines succinctly what he sees as his life's mission. "Similarly," he continues, "a Jew once came to the Rebbe of Lubavitch. That Jew was unsure whether to establish a kashrut organization, and the Rebbe told him: There are many kashrut organizations, but you must ensure that Jews indeed eat kosher. And the meaning is, we shouldn't wait but act ourselves to bring more and more Jews closer."

That's exactly what Rabbi Wilhelm did upon his arrival in Zhytomyr. "My wife and I had to build everything from scratch in the city, be it Torah institutions, a synagogue, and other establishments," he recalls. "Fortunately, there was a tremendous thirst for it. But it wasn't simple at all. Our mentality was also very different from the locals. I am an Israeli born in Jerusalem, and after the wedding, I married the daughter of the rabbi of Antwerp, Rabbi Lieberman. We both came from different places from the residents in Zhytomyr, but the Jewish point managed to bridge that.

"The decision to come to the city despite the difficulties was made during the Rebbe's passing period. It happened after our wedding. We lived then in the shelter of the Rebbe in New York. During that time, the Rebbe fell ill and later passed away. The Rebbe's passing caused a great shock among all the Chasidim, but the decision was to move forward with his great undertakings. We had the privilege to be among the first emissaries to set out at that time."

Renovation Before the War

Back to our days: where did the war catch you?

"In fact, we didn't believe a war would break out until the last moment. True, the West warned Ukraine about it, but it was hard to believe that this would actually happen. It is important to note that the war came after a difficult period, the COVID-19 pandemic. Three months before the war broke out, we just began recovering from the pandemic, and we renovated the beautiful ark in the synagogue. In fact, the period preceding the war was a peak time for the community in Zhytomyr, which had become a thriving community with about 500 Jews praying in the synagogue during the week. In addition, Torah classes were held, along with extensive food distribution and aid activities for the needy.

"A month before the war broke out, my father-in-law passed away. My wife flew to Antwerp to participate in the marking of the thirty days of mourning for her father. She left the house at 2:00 AM, and at 4:00 AM she called me and announced 'the war has broken out'. From there on, our lives changed completely. Seconds later, I heard a siren followed by a loud explosion: a Russian missile fell on a base near the city.

"At that time, my concern focused on the future of our institutions, especially regarding the future of the orphanages we have in Zhytomyr where panic began to spread. In a momentary decision, I informed the team: 'In two hours, we are boarding buses and heading west towards the border'. Despite the difficulty, I decided to do so understanding that children should not be under the threat of war. I also realized there would be more missiles following the first one, and therefore there is no choice but to leave.

"While we were organizing for the journey and heading west, I contacted the local emissary in Chernivtsi on the Romanian border and asked him to arrange accommodation for us. With G-d's grace, he managed to find us a vacant hotel, and we set out. While leaving, I understood how correct the decision to leave was, as more missiles hit the city".

Did you plan to stay on the Ukraine-Romania border?

"No. It was clear to me that we would leave Ukraine until the storm passed. The problem was that the children did not have passports. Those who took charge of handling this were the officials from the Israeli Ministry of Interior, and they approved receiving the children despite the absence of the necessary documents. We also had many miracles along the way. It was entirely a heavenly journey. Who could have believed that approximately 150 members of our community would arrive in Israel all at once? Until recently, that could have seemed like a dream".

What are you doing now in Israel?

"The activity continues here as well. Today we have two communities from Zhytomyr. One is in Ashkelon, where we have a boys' institution and a girls' institution we brought with us; they all study in Chabad institutions in the city, and alongside them are about thirty families. Additionally, there is also a community that remained in Zhytomyr. Although there aren't many Jews, they also need continued care. Today I essentially travel between Israel and Ukraine all the time".

Isn't there pain over the community's disbandment?

"I did not come to build a community in Zhytomyr. Our goal is to bring the Messiah closer according to the guidance of the Rebbe of Lubavitch, and that we must do everywhere and with all the means we have".

Once the war ends, what will you do with the formed communities?

"If the war ends and the place becomes calm again - we intend to revive the Jewish community there. As for the children, some will remain in Israel, while those without families are Ukrainian citizens whom we will be obligated to return to Ukraine. By the way, for those orphaned children, it was a matter of saving lives to assist them. Most of them came from broken families. Without our activities, they would have been considered as non-Jews in essence. One of the girls emphasized to us in the past how these orphanages changed her not only spiritually but also materially. She said when she returned to visit her village, she saw how all her friends were on the fringes of society, in poverty and deprivation".

What is your message from all of this?

"The most important message is not to give up on any Jew. Even if we are talking about Jews in a state of assimilation, G-d forbid, there is always that inner Jewish point that shines brightly. These days we see what is happening in Israel, and it is precisely there, in Ukraine, that the connection between every Jew, from all backgrounds, must also teach us, the Jews of Israel".