Until late February, Avraham and Mendel called Zhytomyr home. The Alumim residential facility there gave a safe and nurturing environment to the two young boys and other Jewish children unable to live with family. They lived normal lives, focusing on making good grades and good friends. But war changed all that. The shelling terrified the children. “All we knew was that we needed to get the children to a safe place,” says Malki Bukiet, who directs Alumim with her husband, Rabbi Zalman.

Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm, Director of Chabad of Zhytomyr, acted quickly, called in his favors and arranged evacuation for the children. While most of the children headed west away from the fighting, Avraham and Mendel went east to their mother’s home in Berdyansk, on Ukraine’s southern coast.

Just days later, the Russian army rolled into Berdyansk. Avraham and Mendel found themselves in an active war zone. The front lines of the war moved north, and for months the boys hung on in an unstable home, in a city under Russian military control, with dwindling food supplies. Their Alumim friends settled in Israel; but with the internet down, Avraham and Mendel had no way to keep in touch. 

In June, a pair of Chabad rabbis passed through war-torn Berdyansk and a rescue operation got off the ground. The boys were ferried across the front lines to Zhytomyr, where Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm was spending a few weeks with his community. “It was an incredibly difficult feat,” Rabbi Wilhelm says, “it took a lot of prayers, a lot of help from heaven, and a lot of kindness from many people.”

From there, Mendel and Avraham made their way to Warsaw, Poland, where Rabbi Shalom Ber Stambler put them up at his Chabad House, while he worked with the Israeli Consul to obtain safe passage to Israel. Finally, on June 21st, Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm flew to Warsaw and accompanied Mendel and Avraham on their journey to Israel.

“When the boys finally arrived at Alumim and reunited with their friends, it was such an emotional scene,” Rabbi Wilhelm says. “To get them back safely took miracles upon miracles, thank G-d they’re safe now.”

Having left his native Philadelphia behind to practice and teach law in China, professor David Ginsberg grew to appreciate the small Jewish communities he frequented so far from home. Although he taught at the Hongwen School two hours away, he was sure to join Chabad of Chengdu each Shabbat. “He appreciated being with the community,” says Rabbi Dovi Henig, director of Chabad of Chengdu. “He’d say that coming to the services made him feel connected to the Jewish people everywhere and gave him the strength for the week ahead.”

Last week, David passed away suddenly. In China, standard procedure mandates that the deceased be cremated, a practice that is anathema in Judaism. Rabbi Henig rushed to arrange a meeting with the necessary government officials. “I spoke about honoring the deceased and explained how important it is for Jews that the body isn’t dissected or burned,” Rabbi Henig recalls. 

Thanks to the support of Hongwen School director Jonathan Gastel, the officials happily accommodated anything required by Jewish law. Fortunately Rabbi Henig had brought along his tallit, which they used to wrap David’s body as per Jewish law. “We’re now working on securing transportation to the United States,” Rabbi Henig says, “so he can be buried in a Jewish cemetery.” 

“David was a warm Jew,” Rabbi Henig remembers. “Last Pesach, we sent him food each day because he resolved not to eat chametz. He was always ready to do a mitzvah.”

A world away in Amsterdam, David’s son Eitan Ginsberg received a call from Rabbi Yitzhak Dov Pinkovitch informing him of his father’s passing just in time for Shavuot, and he was able to recite Kaddish and Yizkor for his father at the Chabad House.

Please recite mishnayot l’iliu nishmat Dovid Michoel ben Sidney of blessed memory.