2 months ago

The Baby Rescued at Three Days Old and Touched the World Celebrates His Third Birthday

A Jewish baby who was rescued at just three days old at the start of the crisis in Ukraine and brought to a Jewish orphanage in the city of Odesa celebrated this week his third birthday with a traditional Jewish “Upsherin”, first haircut. His many “brothers” showered him with sweets and took part in the ancient Jewish custom of cutting his hair.

The baby who excited the Jewish world is now three years old: When the crisis in Ukraine broke out three years ago, the emotional story of a tiny Jewish infant, just three days old, who was miraculously rescued and brought directly to the FJC “Mishpacha” orphanage in Odesa, was widely reported.

The baby, which underwent a brit milah at eight days old, while the sounds of explosions had already begun to echo across the country, was named Tuvia, after the late Rabbi Tuvia Peles, one of the prominent Chabad Chasidim. The director of the orphanage and chief rabbi of Odesa, Rabbi Avraham Wolff, shared: “From the moment he arrived here, Tuvia became everyone’s child. We are his family.”

In his earliest days, and amid the turmoil of the crisis, little Tuvia endured many hardships, traveling along with his many “siblings” at the orphanage, which houses more than a hundred children of various ages. The orphans were first evacuated to shelter in Germany and then relocated to different places within the country, returning to Odesa after more than a year.

Tuvia’s story was widely reported in the global media, including in Israel. “His story touched the hearts of thousands of Israelis,” said Rabbi Wolff, who also serves as the chief rabbi of southern Ukraine and a Chabad emissary.

Just three days after Tuvia was born, his mother arrived at the orphanage and asked to give him up. “I asked her if she wanted to stay a little longer, or at least say a proper goodbye, and she said no,” recalled one of the orphanage caregivers at the time. “She turned around and left without giving us any information about herself. He was left without a family—but now we are his family.”

Rabbi Wolff and his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya, decided to raise the baby as if he were their own son. Since then, he has grown up in the orphanage’s large family, surrounded by love and care.

This week, marking three years since the start of the crisis in Ukraine, little Tuvia celebrated his “upsherin”—the traditional Jewish haircut at the age of three. His many “brothers” at the orphanage joyfully threw sweets at him, sang heartfelt Jewish songs, and even cut his hair with scissors, following the ancient Jewish tradition.

“Seeing Tuvia grow and develop, learn and progress—it is our greatest joy,” said Rabbi Wolff. Igor Shadchin, head of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Southern Ukraine, summed up the significance of the moment: “Tuvia has touched all our hearts. He represents hope and optimism for us all. We all pray for peace and tranquility after three turbulent years.”