Rabbi and wife from Brooklyn say synagogue in war-torn city of Kharkiv being used as shelter
NEW YORK -- A key Russian target, Kharkiv, has come under intense shelling over the past few days. The basement of a Jewish synagogue in the second-largest city is serving as a bomb shelter.
The rabbi and his wife moved to Ukraine from Brooklyn back in 1990 and they spoke to CBS2's Lisa Rozner on Wednesday.
Just two doors down from the Chabad of Kharkiv is a bombed-out building that just a week ago was filled with children marking the 30-year anniversary of their Jewish day school.
"It's like a very, very difficult situation," Miriam Moskovitz said. "Just across from the street from the synagogue, they bombed the government building."
"In the morning, they started bombing next to the house and just went on, the bombs and the noise, and the building was like shaking. So we jumped in the car," Rabbi Moshe Moskovitz said.
Moshe Moskovitz, his wife, and about 10 other families fled the city Wednesday morning to bring their children to a safer place more than 100 miles away.
"We went to the synagogue, which hopefully won't be the last time. We went downstairs to see all the people, went downstairs to see the cook," Miriam Moskovitz said. "Today, the bombing is so intense that anybody that we were able to ... was in touch with us. We just said in between bombings, just run to the synagogue, and at least you'll get bread."
The couple said more than 100 people have been sheltering in the basement of the synagogue. Food and care packages are also being given out to anyone who comes by. In between curfews, they pray in the sanctuary and answer calls for help.
They are one of roughly 200 Chabad emissaries with congregations in Ukraine.
The rabbi asked for prayers as he evacuated his 10th bus of children from an orphanage.
At Chabad headquarters in Crown Heights, there's a fundraising effort underway to get money to people in Ukraine so they can buy food, arrange shelter, or even evacuate if they need to.
"Their role is to bring some healing," said Rabbi Motti Seligson of Chabad Lubavitch.
The request from the Moskovitz family is simple.
"Help another person. Be kind. As small as it might think, a person might think what they're doing, that will make a tremendous effort," Miriam Moskovitz said.
"We have to be tolerant, and we have to love each person," Moshe Moskovitz added.
They are showing strength, even in a time of great sorrow.
The rabbi and his wife hope to return to their synagogue as soon as it's safely possible. To help them and other emissaries, please click here.