Throughout Ukraine, non-Jews are flocking to shelters in shuls as they believe that the Russian army will not harm shuls.

According to a Yediot Achranot report on Sunday, thousands of non-Jews are sheltering in shuls.

Rav Nachum Ehrentrau, Rav of the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporozhye, said that he welcomes everyone, Jews and non-Jews alike, who seek shelter in the shul.

“We’re in the line of fire here,” he said. “There are 350 to 400 people gathered in shul, mostly Jews, but also non-Jews who begged to shelter in the shul because we have a bomb shelter.”

“It’s not an official bomb shelter – it’s a basement made out of concrete,” he added. “This is a shul and the Russians won’t harm it.”

In a message to his fellow Chabad shluchim in Ukraine, Rav Ehrentrau asked that that people keep him, his family and the Jewish kehllila in Zaporozhye in mind during their tefillos:  נחום חיים הכהן בן נחמה דינה, נחמה דינה בת שינא באשה בתיה, מנחם מענדל הכהן בן נחמה דינה, חנה בת שרה, לוי יצחק בן חנה ושניאור זלמן הכהן בן נחמה דינה, ועבור כל הקהילה היהודית. בברכה לבשורות טובות

Rebbetzin Miriam Moskovitz, who is originally from Sydney, Australia but has lived in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv for over 30 years, told Yediot that she is also assisting non-Jews, along with the 30,000 members of the Jewish kehilla, where she and her husband and ten other Chabad families serve as Chabad shluchim.

“A non-Jewish family came to us after their home was destroyed in the fire and they were left homeless,” she said. “The Rav invited them to the shul.”

“We get requests all the time from non-Jews. A woman called us in tears in the middle of the night and begged us to bring her to the shul. We told her we’ll bring her as soon as it’s calmer and that’s what we did.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)