Representatives of the Ukrainian Jewish Community met with the Israeli ambassador at a synagogue in Kyiv

On June 3, 2026, an important meeting was held at the Kyiv Great Choral Synagogue between members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (VSCIRO) and Michael Brodsky, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Ukraine. The parties discussed issues of intergovernmental cooperation and the role of the religious community in informing the global public about the current situation in Ukraine. This was reported by the Institute for Religious Freedom.

Key representatives of the country’s leading denominations participated in the official event. Among them were Yevstratiy Zoria, Deputy Head of the Synodal Administration of the OCU; Vitaliy Kryvitsky, a hierarch of the Roman Catholic Church; Roman Kakalyuk, an employee of the Department of External Relations of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, as well as Mufti Ahmed Tamim and Rabbi Avraham Bleich. Religious leaders briefed the diplomat on the Council’s wide range of activities at both the domestic and international levels.

Foreign policy issues were at the center of the discussion. Representatives of religious organizations emphasized that Russia is using religion as a “weapon” in the war against Ukraine. In response, Michael Brodsky noted the “proactive stance” of the Jewish community and highlighted the significant contribution of Ukrainian immigrants to strengthening and developing ties between the two countries.

As a reminder, Rivka, the daughter of Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar, married Sholom, the son of Avraham Wolf, the Chief Rabbi of Odessa and Southern Ukraine. The wedding took place on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, in Israel.