Empty shelves, shattered warehouses: Ukraine's Jews prepare for fifth Rosh Hashanah at war

To supply sweet holiday kits to tens of thousands of Jews in the embattled country, Chabad Ukraine said it is "working under complex hardships” to give hope that “the sweet tradition of Rosh Hashanah won't stop."

Amid intensifying shelling in Ukraine's cities, Ukraine's Jewish communities remain on high alert ahead of the High Holy Days.

However, as fighting in the country becomes routine, with the sounds of explosions having become part of daily life, community rabbis are working around the clock to produce mass amounts of kosher honey, essential to the unique culture of Rosh Hashanah.

The main phase of the operation has officially commenced: a fleet of massive aid trucks set out from supply centers toward dozens of Jewish communities scattered throughout the country.

Huge pallets of essential food products were unloaded at the foot of Jewish centers in various cities, then transported directly to community members' homes through an internal, organized, and dignified distribution system.

The diverse list of food items included poultry, fresh meat, locally produced jars of honey, dairy products, canned goods, various spreads, honey cakes specially airlifted in from Israel, and festive honey pastries imported from Zaporizhzhia.

To add extra value to the package, informational pamphlets were included. Beautifully designed and adapted into the local language, they explain the meaning of the High Holy Days and include a unique, rich calendar combining Jewish content with images from community life.

Jewish communities in Ukraine are reportedly expecting record participation this year in synagogues and various holiday activities. As such, Jewish resilience continues to thrive. "We are preparing for an unprecedented number of worshippers who will come to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayers," says Rabbi Simcha Levenharts, a Chabad emissary in Kyiv who is coordinating the distribution effort.

"The situation has become extreme in recent days," Levenharts said. "Warehouses in the area have been destroyed, and the shelves in stores are simply empty. People can barely go shopping because the chains are closed for many hours because of the alarms."

JRNU said some Rosh Hashanah supplies were brought by air from Israel, including honey cakes and other holiday goods. Communities are also distributing chicken, meat, and jars of honey.

Despite the worsening security situation, Jewish leaders say they are preparing for unusually high synagogue attendance over Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

"We are preparing for an unprecedented number of people to come to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayers," Levenharts said.

"After such a long and exhausting period of war and uncertainty, people are looking more than ever for togetherness and tradition, so they don't break and can remain strong."

The JRNU, which is behind the distribution of aid packages to the country's Jews, made a strategic decision: to produce most of the basic food and holiday products on Ukrainian soil itself, at special local factories prepared in advance for this purpose.

The Kyiv area is surrounded by logistics hubs and giant warehouses that have absorbed serious hits and daily bombardments in recent weeks, but by some miracle, the factory chosen for producing the pure honey has remained standing.

While these logistics hubs are absorbing heavy bombardment and shelling, Chabad is organizing massive logistical efforts to ensure the holidays are marked with the greatest possible dignity and to strengthen communal solidarity despite the dangers on the ground.

As the noise of the machines mixes with air-raid sirens, the production workers continue working there under constant alertness. In addition to the honey factory, which was certified kosher by Rabbi Yehoshua Vishetzki of the "Ukrkosher" kashrut system, special meat and poultry slaughter operations have also been certified kosher under strict standards, amid the chaos of war.

JRNU has spent the war years building local production and distribution infrastructure – including factories, kosher slaughter operations, and a delivery network – to sustain religious life for Ukraine's Jewish population without relying on imports that wartime logistics make unreliable.

The honey factory near Kyiv is ostensibly one facet in that system, illustrating both the scale of the effort and the risks involved in running it inside an active war zone.

In the Jewish community of Kyiv, connecting to tradition by “manufacturing kosher food in Ukraine not only instills local pride but aids the country’s struggling economy as well”, says Chabad.org.

The security threat has reached Jewish community leaders directly.

Rabbi Shlomo Salamon, chief rabbi of Kremenchuk, said two drones fell close to his home this week.

"Just today, a few hours ago, two UAVs fell right near our home and immediately brought us back to the difficult atmosphere of the war," Salamon said.

"In days like these, when food warehouses are being bombed, and you can feel the shortages and uncertainty in the stores, the joy of receiving these substantial and festive food packages is enormous," he said.

In Poltava, Chief Rabbi Yosef Segal said residents were also encountering shortages.

"Many stores are dealing with empty shelves, and there is a shortage of basic food products," Segal said, adding that holiday food packages were providing both practical help and emotional support.

In Cherkasy, Rabbi Dov Axelrod said preparations for Rosh Hashanah were continuing despite the deteriorating security situation.

"The preparations for the holiday fill the synagogue and the community with a feeling of togetherness, family, and hope for a better and sweeter year," he said.