Today is Saturday, March 5, 2022. The Ukrainian crisis shows no signs of abating, as dictator Vladimir Putin continues his onslaught into the independent country. Civilian casualties are piling up in Ukraine’s cities. The world is forced to witness the carnage since Putin has his small little fingers on the nuclear button. If he had not, there would have been a more vigorous military response from Ukraine’s allies in Europe and elsewhere. The situation thus far is bleak indeed. An online article in my CNN smartphone app describes the humanitarian intervention of one synagogue in the small Ukrainian city of Uman that has opened its doors to “all people,” as it converts the building into a bunker for those displaced from the missiles and bombs. The article is called “In a synagogue-turned bunker, Ukrainian Jews open doors to ‘all people,'” and it is written by Rebecca Wright and Olha Konovalova.

This makeshift bunker is located about 125 miles south of the capital Kyiv, and it now houses families that have been forced to flee their homes as the Russians continue their bombing of civilian targets. Before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last week, the basement of the temple was used as a bathhouse for Jewish worshippers to do their ritual washing – or mikvah – before prayers.

In the current moment, the Synagogue of the Breslover Hasidim is opening its doors to all locals looking for shelter from the threats of Russian troops. Uman was hit by missile attacks on the first day of the invasion, but has not seen any major fighting yet. That hasn’t prevented residents from feeling on edge since the Russians could come in at any time.

A spokesperson for the U.S.-owned foundation that runs the synagogue, Irina Rybnitskaya, has stated, “We invite all the people, all Ukrainians, all Hasidic people, doesn’t matter who.” She added, “We prepare this place especially for them, in order to hide (when) there is (an) alarm.”

This new temporary hideout is lined with wooden benches and has been stocked with mattresses, blankets, and hot drinks. The residents have arrived, carrying their valuables and bags of clothing, in case they have to camp out for days – or longer – in the shelter.

Since Uman came under attack on February 24, many residents have fled. Its shops have been left shuttered and streets strewn with litter. Ukrainian soldiers now run roadblocks that guard the perimeter of the city, with strict document checks for every vehicle passing through.

The Jewish community in the city has dwindled from around 600 members to under less than 60 since the Russian incursion began, according to the temple’s lawyer. Those left behind are those who can’t – or won’t – leave their homes, along with some who stay out of religious conviction.

Other residents have decided to stay in Uman to confront the Russians. Yehuda Turgiman, a worshipper at the synagogue, assessed the situation thusly, “All the people [sic] is afraid to be here.” She pleaded, “Stop with the war, stop with the fighting, stop with the hate.”

The Russian president has claimed without any evidence that the Ukrainian government is a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis” and has called for the “demilitarization and denazification of the Ukrainian state.” The Jewish community in Uman is adamant that Ukraine is a supportive place for them, and they soundly reject Putin’s claims of any threat from neo-Nazis. Over the previous few years, the Rosh Hashanah New Year celebrations in this city have grown to become the biggest Jewish festival outside of Israel.

One person making her temporary home in the synagogue, a 76-year-old ethnic Russian who goes by her first name, Iryna, said Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is seeking to drive a wedge between religious communities – and also between Russians and Ukrainians. She was born in Ukraine and has only spoken Russian, but she said, “Nobody ever prejudiced me here.” Her next response is a rebuke to the Russian president’s justification for starting the war with her country: “There was no difference between Russians and Ukrainians. We were all equal. We were never enemies.”

A late-breaking development is the news that the United States is working with Poland on the possibility of Poland providing fighter jets to Ukraine, along with consulting with other allies, a White House spokesperson confirms. This potential step is in the works as a result of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushing for western European countries to send fighter aircraft into his country. Any assistance that we could provide the war-torn country would be helpful to some extent.

In the meantime, the world is watching the resilient and courageous Ukrainians fight back against a more formidable opponent. Even its president, Zelensky, refuses to leave his besieged country. Unlike Putin, who is now the world’s most hated person, Zelensky has gained a worldwide following of adoring fans. Let’s hope that he is sufficiently removed from harm as Putin’s troops near city centers.

The images of war we see on the news are just heart breaking. It’s hard to watch sometimes. I believe, however, that it’s important to be witnesses to the evil embodied in a tyrant like Putin. Maybe this war could spell the end of the Putin stranglehold on Russia. One could only hope.

Have a nice Sunday. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be unseasonably warm, so go out and enjoy – even if it might rain in the morning.

Stay safe and be well.