Message from Rabbi Crimmings about Situation in Ukraine

Dear Bet Shalom Members,

Like all of you, I have been watching in horror this week as Russia invades Ukraine, feeling a sense of helplessness at the damage, the loss of life, and the fear and dread Ukrainians are facing as their cities, homes, and livelihoods are destroyed.

In 2008, during my first year of rabbinical school, I had the honor of joining classmates and friends in traveling to Ukraine. We traveled on behalf of HUC-JIR and the World Union for Progressive Judaism through a program that sent first year rabbinical students to the Former Soviet Union to help lead Passover Seders and connect with the Jewish communities in these areas.

Rabbi Jen Gubitz, Rabbi Aimee Gerace, and I were hosted by Rabbi Misha Kapustin, an Ukrainian native who was single-handedly serving the progressive Jewish community across all of Crimea.

We flew into Kiev and then made our way to Crimea, to the cities that were home to the majority of the Jewish community: Sevastopol, Simferopol, and Yevpatoria. We didn’t lead so much as join these communities in celebrating Passover. We communicated through translators, and in some cases in Hebrew, with some who had lived in Israel. We sang, we danced, bonding together through the tunes of Debbie Friedman and the shared rituals of our people. We met primarily older Jews, but also got to see college students and the work that Hillel is doing to support the infusion of Jewish life for the next generation. We also accompanied Misha to visit a member of the Jewish community who was living in a facility for folks with disabilities. The conditions in the facility were beyond anything I had ever experienced. All these years later I can still vividly remember the way I felt walking down those hallways realizing that these people, who were in need of support, were receiving the exact opposite. The living spaces were truly unlivable and the staff support was non-existent. I wonder, today, how this man is doing and how the others in this facility have been coping.

One of the experiences that haunts me most today is when we happened upon a rally being held by an obscure political party that supported making Russian the official language of Ukraine, and other pro-Russian policies. There we were, first year rabbinical students in our mid-20s, on shleichut to support and create connections with the Ukrainian Jewish community, and we happened to witness the seeds of political discord that had of course been brewing for years. Little did we know that 6 years later, in 2014, we would watch, as new rabbis out in the world, as Russia annexed Crimea, and think back on discussions we had with Misha and others back in 2008 about the political factions that existed in Crimea, of those who wanted it to become Russia, and of those, including the Jewish community, who were terrified of what might happen if it did.

As we sit here today and watch the horrors of 2014 play itself out again on a broader scale, I can’t help but think about the Ukrainian Jewish communities who I spent Passover with 14 years ago. I pray for their well-being and for their neighbors as well, for all those who find themselves in the cross-section of war.

For the last 5 years I have been grateful to be part of the Overseas Committee of our local Minneapolis Jewish Federation. I’ve worked with others from the community to consider how we, as a Minnesota Jewish community can support Jews around the world, to build connections, to lift up the vibrancy of Jewish life around the world, and to save lives, supporting the most vulnerable of our people who find themselves in dire circumstances, whether it is because of their Jewish identity or the political climate that surrounds them.

I’m proud that we support both JAFI and JDC, as well as ARZA and Masorti, in the work they all do to support Jews around the world. The program I participated in with my classmates in 2008 was made possible by the sponsorship of JDC and I am grateful to now be in a position to ensure that those types of experiences are available for others.

This experience deepened my perspective on the range of concerns facing Jews across Ukraine and enabled me the opportunity to celebrate Jewish life in a way that was both foreign and familiar. As Jews, we are all connected and responsible for one another and for ensuring the continuation and vibrancy of our people.

During this time I know I join you all in praying for peace, not only for the Jewish community, but for all those in Ukraine. May we be inspired to do what we can to support those in need, whether it is through direct giving in support of the 70,000+ Jews who call Ukraine home, or through more general efforts to support all those in the country. I’m grateful to the Minneapolis Jewish Federation for the recent emergency allocation of $200,000 to support the Ukrainian Jewish community through the work of JAFI and JDC. Click here if you’d like to contribute to that campaign.

May we see the day where nation will not lift up sword over nation, and we shall see war no more.

With prayers for peace,

Rabbi Crimmings