By COLlive reporter
Heads of the Chabad Yeshiva in Dnipro make a difficult decision on Monday night to evacuate their students, teachers and their families as Russian forces advance in Ukraine.
While the city is in central Ukraine, a distance from the front, the sounds of war are nearing. The airport in Dnipro has been closed until Thursday and long lines were reported at the ATMs as people fear a possible collapse of financial institutions.
The Yeshiva has 60 bochurim – most of them the sons of Chabad Shluchim in Ukraine and former Soviet Union countries. With their parents busy servicing their communities, bochurim remained safe in Yeshiva.
Yet because of growing concerns, the entire Yeshiva evacuated on Monday night. They took an 11-hour train ride to Odessa and from there they successfully crossed the Ukrainian border into Moldova on Tuesday.
Chabad in Moldova has been welcoming many refugees from Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the Yeshiva plans to board a flight to Düsseldorf in West Germany where the local Shliach Rabbi Chaim Barkahn and the community secured a building for them, to be used as a study hall and dormitory.
“We thank the Yeshiva staff for this journey which wasn’t simple and which will allow us to continue learning Torah in peace,” commented Chaim Baram, a student. He said he hopes to be able to meet his parents soon and to continue working on the Chabad activities in their hometown.
VIDEO:
Yeshiva students of the @Chabad Yeshiva in Dnipro🇺🇦 did not stop studying throughout the 14 hours long train ride. Unbelievable dedication to Torah study. https://t.co/cn1PX6Cugt pic.twitter.com/x6iT7VKfey
— Rabbi Mendy Chitrik (@mchitrik) March 1, 2022
