KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Jews in Ukraine waging a “warfare between darkness and lightweight” lit a large menorah on Sunday night time to begin the eight-day Hanukkah vacation as tens of hundreds remained with out electrical energy and Russia’s just about 10-month warfare produced new sufferers.
Dozens accumulated in Maidan Independence Sq. within the capital, Kyiv, at sunset to mild the primary candle of what native Jewish leaders say is Europe’s tallest menorah. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko joined ambassadors from Israel, the USA, Japan, Poland, Canada and France in a rite arranged by way of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine. They sang blessings underneath the flames of the menorah, which towered over the group and passing automobiles in frigid climate.
Rabbi Mayer Stambler, a pace-setter of Ukraine’s Jewish group, drew parallels to the tale of Hanukkah, an eight-day commemoration of the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem by way of the Maccabees after their victory over the Syrians greater than 2,000 years in the past. When handiest sufficient oil was once to be had to stay the temple candles lit for sooner or later and night time, the oil inexplicably burned for 8 days and 8 nights — a feat now celebrated because the Jewish Competition of Lighting fixtures.
“We’re in fact now residing via the similar state of affairs,” stated Stambler, drawing a parallel with the present blackouts in Ukraine that Russian bombardments have brought about. “It is a warfare between darkness and lightweight.”
In congratulating the sector’s Jews on Hanukkah, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who’s Jewish, additionally famous the vacation’s inspiration for his other people.
“Those that have been fewer defeated those that have been extra. Mild defeated darkness. It is going to be the similar this time,” he vowed in a video cope with past due Sunday.
Amongst the ones staring at the Kyiv menorah lights was once 47-year-old Viktoria Herman, who stated the competition of lighting fixtures introduced her hope throughout the December days with the least daylight of the 12 months.
“There can be mild and the whole lot can be effective for everybody. And in spite of everything the warfare will finish,” she stated.
The Israeli ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, stated: “I want for the folks of Ukraine all of that which Hanukkah symbolizes. I want there was once mild on each and every Ukrainian space … and I want you victory.”
Volunteers dispensed hundreds of menorahs, candles, published fabrics, circle of relatives puzzle video games and candies for the vacation to contributors of Ukraine’s Jewish minority inhabitants.
With the vacation symbolism as a backdrop, Ukraine’s state-owned energy grid operator Ukrenergo stated it was once nonetheless running Sunday to revive electrical energy knocked out by way of Russian missile injury. The grid operator stated the quantity of electrical energy intake higher in comparison to Saturday, because of falling temperatures.
Zelenskyy reported that energy have been restored Sunday to a few million Ukrainians, on best of 6 million the day ahead of.
At the battlefield, Russian army forces on Sunday shelled the middle of Kherson, the most important town that Russian infantrymen retreated from ultimate month in certainly one of Moscow’s largest battlefield setbacks in Ukraine.
3 other people have been wounded within the assaults, stated presidential deputy leader of workforce Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
The southern town and its surrounding area have come underneath widespread assault because the Russian pullback. Regional governor Yaroslav Yanushevych stated Sunday that Russia had performed 54 assaults with rocket, mortar and tank fireplace over yesterday, killing 3 other people and wounding six.
Within the town of Donetsk, capital of a area Russia illegally annexed, a Ukrainian assault that hit a clinic killed one affected person and wounded a number of others, the Russian-installed mayor reported at the Telegram messaging app.
In the meantime, in Russia, the governor of the Belgorod area, Vyacheslav Gladkov, stated Sunday that one particular person was once killed and 8 wounded in Ukrainian shelling of the area, which lies alongside Ukraine’s northern border.
In the most recent segment of the warfare, Moscow’s forces were closely focused on infrastructure serving civilians, similar to water and electrical energy provide traces, compounding Ukrainians’ struggling as wintry weather deepens.
Zelenskyy used Sunday’s ultimate fit of the football Global Cup to decry warfare.
“This Global Cup proved over and over again that other international locations and other nationalities can come to a decision who’s the most powerful in truthful play however now not within the enjoying with fireplace — at the inexperienced enjoying box, now not at the pink battlefield,” Zelenskyy stated in an English video commentary launched hours ahead of Argentina beat France 4-2 in a penalty shootout.