Amid ongoing war, Torah published in Ukrainian for first time
First print run of 3,000 copies has been distributed to Ukrainian Jewish communities
The first full translation of the Five Books of Moses into Ukrainian has been successfully undertaken, despite the damage caused by Russian missiles striking the printing presses.
Hundreds of copies of the Torah, with parallel Hebrew text, were printed to celebrate Simchat Torah and have now been distributed to major Jewish communities across the country, with thousands more on their way.
A team of rabbis, translators, linguists, and editors worked on creating the historic edition.
In a statement on his Twitter/X account, the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Moshe Azman, said:
“For the first time in the history of modern Ukraine, the Torah has been published in Ukrainian! The Torah is the foundation for every Jew! It is the most important book of all Jewish books! It is a true instruction manual on how a Jew should live. From the Torah, we take laws that apply to all aspects of human life, and that is more than 613 commandments!
“I am very grateful to the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine for their painstaking work, which lasted more than two years! I am grateful to everyone who participated: translators, linguists, and rabbis. This is truly a huge step forward for all Ukrainian-speaking Jews!”
Lubavitch news site Col Live reports that the initiative was led by Mikhail Shifrin, 53, a native of Kharkiv, (in the northeast of Ukraine), and owner of one of the city’s largest printing houses, together with Rabbi Mayer Stambler, chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU).
Rabbi Levi Engelsman, who coordinates the project on behalf of the Federation, said: “More than ten translators and editors worked on translating the Torah into Ukrainian, a process that altogether took about two years. We made a major effort to complete the printing before Simchat Torah, and I’m proud that we met our deadline. This is a historic moment and a great help for many Jews who no longer speak Russian or any other language besides Ukrainian.”
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