Chabad shaliach in Kiev, Rav Yosef Asman [the son of Rav Moshe Reuven Asman, the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine] spoke with Kikar H’Shabbat on Thursday from the village of Antebka near Kyiv amid the turmoil of war

“At five in the morning, my whole house shook along with the neighboring houses, to the sound of shelling,” he said. “We got the message that we were at war.”

“There’s panic in the air. You hear missiles exploding and planes flying. When you look at the news, you see that Ukraine shot down helicopters, planes and tanks, and there are fatalities.”

“We’re trying to calm the public and we hope we’ll get through this okay.”

Rav Yosef is also the head of ZAKA Ukraine. The organization has been preparing for the prospect of war and the volunteers are on standby for immediate assistance if needed.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)