Anatevka is a Jewish hamlet that was established six years ago by Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Reuven Azman as a safe haven for Jews fleeing the war in Eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russian separatists. Today, Rabbi Azman and many Jewish Ukrainians from Kyiv are taking cover in this refuge hamlet outside the capital as Russia launches a large-scale incursion into the country.
The hamlet's name takes inspiration from a fictional shtetl thought up by author Shalom Aleichem as the hometown of Tova Haholev from the Yiddish classic Fidler on the Roof.
Footage from Anatevka
(Video: Shmulik Davidpur)
Today, Anatevka's shelters are filled with mattresses occupied by Jews singing uplifting songs to raise the spirits in times of great strife.
"There are many Jews here that arrived since the beginning of the war. There's lots of traffic on the way. People are trying to come here from the whole region," said Rabbi Azman. "We hear loud booms. Your help is very important, pray for our community and for Ukraine."
"We never believed we would reach this situation," said the hamlet's Chabad representatives as they showed us around a makeshift shelter. "From nothing, we organized sleeping space, mattresses, only for women and children, and sadly, it's not enough for everyone."
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Mattresses on the floor of a makeshift shelter in Anatevka, Ukraine
(Photo: Screenshot)
Cars have already been prepared and loaded with equipment for the minute they'll be able to leave the country. Meanwhile, the Jews in Anatevka are staying in the shelters and waiting eagerly to escape.
"There are bombardments every second," one Chabad representative said. "Good heavens, people here are panicking. There aren't enough shelters or space. This is the time to pray and help the Israeli people in Ukraine."
Rabbi Azman's son, who has already fled from Ukraine to Moldova, said that his father was planning to stay "until the last Jew leaves."
Azman spoke of the Israeli who was killed in the war, Roman Brodsky, as he was en route to the Moldovan border: "They left alone with no police escort. Police escort isn't just a patrol car with weapons... they give information that the coast is clear and you can pass. It's very important," he said.
"People make the decision by themselves and they don't know the risks. The risk is insane. We drove through all the borders, Ukrainian soldiers are standing there stressed because they know that at any minute Russian soldiers could start shooting at them. It's very dangerous. You need to leave only in an organized convoy, which knows the way from the beginning to the end."