"Shalom, Orthodox!": The first yeshiva "Beit Binyamin" in the history of independent Ukraine opened in the Kiev region

In the village of Anatevka, Kyiv region, the opening of the Beit Binyamin yeshiva took place – the first specialized building of a higher Jewish religious school erected in Ukraine since the proclamation of independence in 1991. This event became an important stage in the restoration of the spiritual infrastructure of the Jewish community of the country.

As reported on the official page of the DESS Viktor Yelensky took part in the solemn ceremony. In his speech, he called the revival of Jewish religious and cultural life after decades of its eradication a “real miracle.” According to the head of the DESS, the yeshiva in Anatevka is a “living and majestic symbol” of the preservation of Jewish civilization in Ukraine.

Chief rabbis of Ukrainian cities, as well as spiritual leaders from Israel, the United States, Moldova, Slovakia and Italy, arrived for the event. The new yeshiva is a spiritual training center for boys, where future rabbis, teachers and spiritual leaders will be trained. Viktor Yelensky also recalled the complex historical context: in the late 1980s, the level of awareness of their own culture and religion among the Jews of Ukraine was one of the lowest among all national minorities, which makes the current development of the community even more significant.

As a reminder, the daughter of Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar, Rivki, married the son of the Chief Rabbi of Odessa and Southern Ukraine, Avraham Wolf, Sholem. The family’s wedding was held on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, in Israel.