The Jewish community of Kremenchug, in Ukraine’s Poltava region, welcomed a new Torah scroll into the city’s synagogue. The event took place on 9 Kislev (December 5 this year), the birthday and anniversary of passing of Rabbi Dov Ber Shneuri, the second Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch. Rabbi Dov Ber lived in Kremenchug for two years and, at that time, made the city a center for Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidism.
Today, thanks to the dedicated work of Chief Rabbi of Kremenchug Shlomo Salomon and his wife, Kremenchug once again has an active Jewish community and Jewish communal life.
The Torah scroll was prepared by Rabbi Avraham Salomon, the father of Rabbi Shlomo Salomon and a well-known scribe from Rishon Lezion, Israel. According to custom, the final letters were written in the scroll just before the end of the ceremony. Rabbi Salomon and community sponsors Alexander Urich and Dovid Schulman of Dnepropetrovsk had the honor of completing the final letters.
After inscribing the last letters, a lively procession headed towards the new Rohr Chabad Synagogue, where everyone enjoyed the traditional hakafot (dancing with the Torah). The subsequent festive meal was also attended by the city’s deputy mayor and other high ranking officials. The celebration was sponsored by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Goldschmidt, a Chabad emissary serving in Thailand, in memory of his grandfather, Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber.
The ceremony was attended by numerous guests, including Chief Rabbi of Kharkov Moshe Moskowitz, Chief Rabbi of Nikolaev Sholom Gottlieb, Chief Rabbi of Krivoy Rog Liron Ederi, Chief Rabbi of Poltava Joseph Segal, Chief Rabbi of Cherkassy Dov Axelrod, Chief Rabbi of Pervomaysk Levy Yitzchak Perelstein, Chief Rabbi of Kirovograd Dan Zakuta and Rabbi Nir Goshen of Kherson. As well, there was a delegation from Dnepropetrovsk, including Rabbis Meir Stambler, Moshe Weber, Menachem Goldschmidt, Shalom Nachshon, Elisha Baram and Joseph Lubarsky.