The new president-elect of Ukraine, Mr. Vladimir Zelensky, met with the Chabad Shluchim – Chief Rabbis of the Ukraine region, on Monday in Kiev.
Mr. Zelensky warmly greeted the Rabbis, and at the meeting which went on for over an hour, discussed the situation and challenges in Ukraine for the local Jewish communities.
Chief Rabbis Shmuel Kaminetzky of Dniepr, Moshe Moskovitz of Kharkov, Avraham Wolff of Odessa, Moshe Asman of Kiev, Shlomo Wilhelm of Zhitomir and Pinchus Vishetzkiy of Donetzk congratulated Mr. Zelensky on making history as the first Jewish president Of Ukraine and noted that his overwhelming victory showed tolerance and democracy prevalent now in Ukraine.
Mr. Zelensky was visibly impressed to hear how the Lubavitcher Rebbe had sent Shluchim in 1990 to rebuild the Jewish communities that had struggled through 70 years of communism.
Being the eve of the 2nd of Iyar, the birthday of the 4th Lubavitcher Rebbe, they discussed his life’s message of ‘Lchatchila Ariber’- when confronting challenges you should leap over them and move forward.
The Rabbis presented Mr. Zelensky with a Torah in Russian and wished him much success in his new position.
Did he put on Tefillin?