Many touching moments have unfolded at the Mishpacha Orphanage in Odessa since Russia invaded Ukraine a year and a half ago, but the entire staff was deeply moved last week when two-week-old Sarah came to live there. Baby Sarah was born to a Jewish mother from the beseiged Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia. However, the baby was sent to the children's orphanage in Odessa, because her mother, who was injured in the war, is unable to care for her on her own.
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"We received the request from Chabad emissaries in the city of Zaporizhia, Rabbi Nahum Arntroy and his wife, Dina," says Rabbi Avraham Wolff, who manages the children's orphanage along with his wife, Chaya. "This is a very challenging case of a mother who has suffered both physically and emotionally and asked us to care for her daughter."
This is the sixth infant transferred to the Mishpacha Orphanage since the outbreak of the war. "The children and the staff warmly welcomed Sarah," adds Rabbi Wolff. "Sarah is joining our extended family, and with the help of God we will provide her with warmth and love just like we do for the other children."
"We have experienced many upheavals since the outbreak of the war," adds Igor Shadkin, head of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Southern Ukraine. "We wandered to Berlin, returned to Odessa and, yet, we are doing everything we can to continue welcoming Jewish children - orphans and those whose parents cannot raise them. We strive to provide them with a warm and loving home, a safe place for their bodies and souls."