A Bris In The Shadow of War
“Masha had only one request to Rabbi Moshe Moskowitz last month at the synagogue in Kharkov. She was due to give birth in a few weeks and she wanted to be sure that no matter what, her son to be born would be circumcised at 8 days.” A surprising story of devotion during the war in Ukraine • Full Story, Photos
“Masha had only one request to Rabbi Moshe Moskowitz last month at the synagogue in Kharkov. She was due to give birth in a few weeks and she wanted to be sure that no matter what, her son to be born would be circumcised at 8 days.
A week ago a woman gave birth to a baby boy, she called the Shliach, and made sure her request was granted. A few months ago it was easy to organize a circumcision in Kharkov but now with the intense bombing of the city and without a mohel in Ukraine, it was a challenge for Rabbi Moskowitz.
First thing Rabbi Moskowitz had to find a mohel who would be willing to travel thousands of miles in the midst of war. Amazingly it was that the Shliach from the bombed-out city of Rupel, Rabbi Mendel Cohen, who is also a mohel, was brave enough to take on this unique mitzvah despite the dangers and the distance.
Rabbi Moskowitz organized the logistics and arranged for a flight from Israel to Moldova and a 20-hour drive in a van that crossed the border, from west to eastern Ukraine, to the city of Kharkov, which is only 40 km from the Russian border.
News spread quickly that on Thursday morning a special event would be held at the synagogue.
Masha, who was once a student at the Hebrew school and her eldest son also attended the school and went to the Gan Yisrael camp in Kharkov, was very excited when she climbed the steps of the synagogue. She understood the importance of bringing her son into “Avraham Avinu’s Bris” at the time and was grateful to Rabbi Moskowitz, the Kharkiv community and to Rabbi Mendel Cohen for traveling thousands of miles to fulfill her dream.
The crowd stood in awe and ignored the background noises of artillery fire and long-range shelling. The little baby’s cry brought tears to the eyes of all present. In the middle of the war with true self-sacrifice a young baby becomes part of the Jewish community and continues the chain from our ancestor Avraham Avinu.
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