Ukrainian chief rabbi fights back tears when asked of Jews praying in bunkers

A senior Ukrainian rabbi fought back tears when he was asked in a live interview about his feelings when he saw footage of Jews praying in underground bunkers.

Rabbi Yaakov Bleich said it was difficult to watch the pictures after his 32 years helping to rebuild Ukraine’s Jewish community following decades of suppression under communism.

He told BBC Radio 5 live on Tuesday “This has been definitely the most harrowing, harrowing experience and I feel like I’m there with them, even though I’m not but I’ve just been with them since the beginning. And I just hope that the thing ends.”

Footage of a group of Jews being led in prayer in a long corridor went viral over the weekend after it appeared on social media.

Rabbi Bleich, who is one of Ukraine’s chief rabbis, spoke of his anguish “to see everything that you built over so many years — and I’m not only talking for myself as the chief rabbi, I’m talking for every single rabbi in that country — to see your community being disintegrated and bombed in front of you.

“I’m telling you, many of the rabbis that swore they’ll never leave, they’ll stay — they’re running, because nobody ever dreamt that the carnage and the bombing would look the way that it’s looking. Nobody.

“People that are praying in those bunkers, I’ve been begging them to leave. Begging them. Just evacuate and get out.”

He added he himself had been forced to leave Kyiv in recent days for “my own security”.

“I had to leave right when the war was starting. I couldn’t stay there for many reasons, one of the reasons is that I’m not particularly one of Putin’s favourites and I was on one of his lists. However, I have not stopped, I haven’t slept since this began.”