Following a severe Russian drone strike on the “Family Ukraine” school and orphanage complex in Odessa, southern Ukraine, diplomats and senior foreign officials arrived in the city to show solidarity with the local Jewish community. The recent wave of drones and missiles has caused heavy destruction to civilian centers in Odessa, and one of the direct hits damaged the Jewish “Or Avner Chabad” school, a major educational and community anchor for hundreds of children, including refugees and orphans from the local “Family Ukraine” home.
A mass-casualty disaster was avoided only because staff and caregivers quickly moved 124 orphans into shelters seconds before the blast. Even so, the building damage was extensive, with structures rendered unusable and windows blown out. In recent days, the Chabad compound, led by Rabbi Avraham Wolf and his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Wolf, has become the focus of a stream of support visits from diplomats and international figures.
One of the main events was a visit by Israel’s ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, to the community’s traditional end-of-school-year ceremony, known as “The Last Bell.” Because of security restrictions and the damage, the event was moved from the school courtyard to a makeshift protected space. Brodsky praised the community’s courage and said, “The sight of these children, who only days ago ran in panic to shelters and now smile and celebrate the end of the year, is the real victory of light over darkness.” He pledged that Israel would continue standing with Ukraine’s Jewish community and supporting its humanitarian needs.
A British solidarity visit followed, when senior British lord Henry Byron Davis insisted on visiting the city’s central historic Chabad synagogue. After meeting Rabbi Wolf and hearing a detailed briefing on the community and the rescue of the orphans, he offered a brief prayer for the region and said he was deeply shocked that children’s educational and welfare institutions were being targeted. He promised to raise the plight of Odessa’s orphans in the London parliament. A German government delegation then toured the damaged school, saw the destroyed classrooms, and met children now studying in cramped temporary spaces and corridors. The German representatives said they would work to raise dedicated funds for immediate reconstruction. Chaya Wolf said the international support gives the community and all 124 children the strength to continue and rebuild everything from scratch.
