Ukraine’s Jewish community has angrily refuted Russian claims that a shul in the historic city of Uman — site of the kever of Rav Nachman of Breslov— is being used as a weapons storage and transportation site by Ukrainian armed forces.
In a statement published on its Telegram channel on Tuesday, the United Jewish Community of Ukraine (UJCU) pushed back against allegations from the Russian Ministry of Defense that the synagogue had been taken over by “Ukrainian nationalists.”
“Information about the use of synagogues in Uman by the military is not true,” the statement declared. “The United Jewish Community of Ukraine states that all synagogues and Jewish sites in Ukraine are used exclusively for their intended purpose, to carry out religious activities or to help members of Jewish communities and the local population.”
At a Russian military briefing on Tuesday, Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov — the chief spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense — displayed images of uniformed men gathered in the vicinity of one of Uman’s several shuls.
“It is the Kyiv regime, in violation of international humanitarian law and simply morality, that uses such facilities as points for collecting and transporting weapons and Nazis to participate in hostilities,” Konashenkov said, invoking the Kremlin’s propaganda line that the invasion of Ukraine is a “denazification” operation.
Konashenkov referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on March 20, in which the Ukrainian leader pointed out that Russian missiles had struck Uman on the first day of the war. “Uman is a city visited by tens of thousands of Israelis every year, for a pilgrimage to the tomb of Nachman of Breslov. What will be left of all such places in Ukraine after this terrible war?” Zelensky asked.
Konashenkov said that on March 21 — the day after Zelensky’s address to the Israeli legislators — photographs captured “the formation of two columns with nationalists on the grounds of the synagogue.”
He added: “I draw your attention to the fact that the property, weapons and ammunition stored in the synagogue building were first loaded by nationalists into dump trucks, and then disguised as bags with construction debris.”
However, none of the four photographs displayed by Konashenkov appeared to show any movement inside the grounds of the synagogue, which is clearly demarcated by a fence encircling the building. The uniformed men shown loading a truck and boarding buses were gathered in the street outside the building — an observation stressed by the UJCU, which stated: “Even based on a photo published for provocative purposes, it is obvious that the gates of the synagogue are closed and no one is inside.”
The UJCU added that the Rav Nachman Foundation in Uman “confirms that the synagogue, the second largest in Ukraine, was closed from Rosh Hashanah — which was celebrated in September 2021 — and has not been used since.”
Each Elul and Tishrei, Uman typically attracts thousands of Yidden who visit the city during Rosh Hashanah.
(c) The Algemeiner Journal
The Soviet propaganda machine is at work. They will use this as an excuse for invading Uman & destroying the Jewish infrastructure built there.
Ukrainians have hidden their deadly weapons in unsuspecting places, like Chernobel. Very likely they hid it in Uman where nobody suspect it. If Putin levels Uman all who’ve been there can bentch gomel that the Ukainians didn’t blow it up with their nuclear weapon hidden deep deep underground.
I’m afraid they the Ruskees are going to level UMAN. Big TimE. Time for these guyys to JUMP.
I’ll do some crossword puzzles in the meantime. Shall we?
it’s takka a place used as a defense weapon…