The Jewish community of Krivoy Rog celebrated two milestones on March 7: a ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the future Jewish kindergarten and sports complex, and a ceremony to begin writing a new Torah scroll.
The two historic events were celebrated at the Ohr Avner Chabad Day School and involved many guests, including members of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish community and the Ohr Avner Chabad Day School, students of the STARS program, leaders and member of the Jewish community of Krivoy Rog. Guests from other cities also joined in the festivities, including such distinguished guests as Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk Shmuel Kaminetsky, Chief Rabbi of Nikolaev Sholom Gottlieb, and Chief Rabbi of Kremenchug Shlomo Solomon.
Chief Rabbi of Krivoy Rog Liron Edery welcomed all participants, emphasizing the significance of these events in the life of the community and thanking the sponsors of these projects for their invaluable assistance. “After Mr. Vyacheslav Kapustin announced that he would donate a Torah scroll to the Krivoy Rog community when the new synagogue opened, the Jewish community responded by making a commitment to write a Torah scroll, as well,” noted Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk Shmuel Kaminetsky. “Such an act is a perfect example of how one mitzvah (commandment) can lead to another, and today we are witnessing this commitment.”
Guests enjoyed a presentation showing the design of the building that will, in the future, include a spacious hall, a modern game room, gym and swimming pool. Following the presentation, the foundation stone was laid. The honor of laying the foundation stone was given to Rabbi Kaminetsky, Rabbi Liron Edery, and to Mr. Gennady Korban, a key sponsor of the kindergarten’s construction and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish community of Dnepropetrovsk.
After the foundation-stone laying ceremony, the new Torah scroll was begun. The honor of writing the first letter was presented to Rabbi Kaminetsky, followed by Rabbi Edery, Mr. Korban, Rabbi Gottlieb, Rabbi Moshe Weber, Rabbi Levi Seligson and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Strasberg. A number of individuals who have actively supported the revival of Jewish life in Krivoy Rog were also given the privilege, including Dmitry Korsunsky, Vladislav Itskovsky, Evgeniy Molchinsky, Mikhail Kavnatsky, and Mikhail Marmer.
After these two events, the guests were invited to a banquet at the Aurora Restaurant, at which time participants reiterated the importance of these events in promoting Jewish life in the Jewish community of Krivoy Rog, a member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.