In Kherson, Zelensky visited the synagogue that survived an arson attempt

28.06.2020, 13:20
State
Zelensky visits a synagogue in Kherson - фото 1
Zelensky visits a synagogue in Kherson
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Chabad Synagogue in Kherson, which has a community of more than 5,000 people.

In April, criminals tried to set fire to the synagogue. According to the website of the head of state, two suspects were detained three weeks after the incident.

Volodymyr Zelensky met with the Chief Rabbi of Kherson and Kherson Region Yossef Itzhak Wolff and inspected the repaired parts of the building damaged during the arson attempt.

Yossef Itzhak Wolff thanked the President for the quick reaction of the Ukrainian authorities to this act of anti-Semitism.

Zelensky and the chief rabbi of the region presented letters of gratitude to Chief of Police of the Kherson Region Oleksandr Prokudin and Head of the SSU in the region Serhiy Kryvoruchko for solving the crime so quickly.

"What matters most is not the quick and apt result, but that all people see themselves as citizens of Ukraine. And, regardless of nationality, religion, they are protected by the state of Ukraine, our institutions and law enforcement agencies. It is paramount that everyone feels like human individuals they are," the President said.

As reported before, on April 20 in Kherson, criminals attempted to set fire to the synagogue on Teatralna Street, the only operating synagogue in the city. Bottles of flammable liquid, the so-called "Molotov cocktails", were thrown into the synagogue belonging to the Kherson Jewish religious community "Chabad". The liquid caught fire, but it was not strong enough for the building to burn down.

The Chabad Synagogue was built in 1895 and served as a house of prayer until 1941. The synagogue opened on September 14, 2010, after undergoing a major overhaul and restoration. The community has a Jewish school and kindergarten with three daily prayers.