Mikvah Given to Kyiv's Central Synagogue

Relaying an item from Blahovest-Info, the Internet Agency Christian News reports that over 400 people were present at the ceremonial opening of the mikvah and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma sent his greetings. Opening the ceremony, Moshe-Ruven Asman, head rabbi of Kyiv and the Kyiv region, thanked the benefactors for such an expensive gift and expressed his hope that this will help further the growth of the Jewish community. "Mikvah," commented the rabbi, "is one of the bases of the existence of the Jewish people. It is directly connected not only with physical but also with spiritual, moral purity. As the mikvah cleanses those who have been defiled, so the Lord, Blessed is He, cleanses Israel."