Strengthening Jewish Life Behind Bars: Chief Rabbi of Kyiv Meets Israeli Prison Rabbi
A special meeting took place at Israel’s Prison Service headquarters in Ramla, where Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine’s prisons, met with Rabbi Eyal Salman, Chief Rabbi of the Israel Prison Service, to discuss maintaining Jewish life in correctional facilities—especially during wartime • Read More
Also attending were Deputy Chief Rabbi Gabriel Ezra, Rabbi Shmuel Ben Harosh (Head of Kashrut), and Rabbi Menachem Jakobzon (Head of Emergency and Burial Services).
Addressing Halachic Challenges in Prison
The rabbis explored solutions for Shabbat and holiday observance, kosher food under restricted conditions, and fulfilling religious obligations in prison settings. Rabbi Markovitch shared the unique struggles faced by Jewish inmates in Ukraine, particularly the difficulty in securing tefillin, prayer books, and Torah scrolls amid wartime disruptions.
Rabbi Salman outlined Israel’s prison religious services, including Torah study programs, strict kosher protocols, and rehabilitation through Jewish values, emphasizing halachic solutions for praying in a minyan, putting on tefillin, and maintaining Jewish identity.
Strengthening Rabbinic Cooperation
Rabbi Markovitch expressed appreciation for the exchange of knowledge, stating, “Israel’s experience in Jewish prison services will help us establish a stronger infrastructure across Ukraine’s 170 correctional facilities.”
The meeting concluded with a commitment to ongoing cooperation and halachic knowledge-sharing between the two countries’ prison systems.
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