Volodymyr Zelensky visits Kyiv Jewish school for model Passover seder

• Published date: 19 April 2024
• Author: MARCEL GASCÓN BARBERÁ/JTA
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"Do you remember what the Passover holiday is all about?" one student from the Simcha School asked Zelensky, who is Jewish

"I think first of all it is about freedom," he answered as another student poured a cup of Kedem grape juice, a loaded seder plate in view. "And freedom is probably the most sensitive and important thing we have. It is cherished by every nation, every nation that has values, and I think we need to stand up for this freedom. … It's important that you do this today, that you talk about it, and that you are being taught this."

Zelensky and Chabad

After meeting with the students, Zelensky spoke with rabbis affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which operates the school and much of Jewish life in Ukraine, inside a bunker built at the school following Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine. There, he drew connections between the plight of the ancient Israelites of the Passover story and contemporary Ukrainians, as well as between Ukrainians and Israelis both facing current wars their countries did not start.

"Many in Ukraine and Israel will celebrate Passover, the holiday of freedom, in shelters," Zelensky said, according to a statement shared by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, a Chabad group.

Alluding to the story of Passover, Zelensky said that both Ukrainians and Israelis must remain "free people" and "defeat evil."

He added, "The Russians want to destroy us like the people of Israel in Egypt. We trust that we will see our own miracles both in Ukraine and in Israel."

The chair of the FJCU, Rabbi Meyer Stambler, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Zelensky's visit to the Simcha school was "historic," as it is the first to a Jewish institution paid by the Ukrainian president during the war. Zelensky has repeatedly met with Jewish leaders since February 2022, but in all previous occasions he received them at the presidential premises.

During his visit, students told Zelensky about the rituals and significance of Passover and shared their personal war stories. One of the students, Vitaly Takhmazov, saw both his parents join the Ukrainian army after the war's start; his...