Think: 

On Monday hundreds joined Rabbi Avremi and Chaya Wolff from Chabad of Odessa on Zoom to hear firsthand how their community was faring during wartime. They projected strong optimism that together with their community and the 120 children of their orphanage they could weather it out, but overnight the calculus changed. But by Tuesday morning it became clear that if the carnage of Kherson and Kharkiv were any indication of what was in store for the rest of Ukraine, evacuation was the only viable option.

How do you evacuate over 100 children who only have birth certificates? The logistics were overwhelming but, against all odds, on Wednesday morning, two buses left Odessa transporting the entire Mishpacha Orphanage infrastructure to the border of Moldova. Chaperoned by my cousin Rabbi Mendy Wolff and his wife Mushky - both in their twenties - they traveled for 3 days through Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Czechia, arriving this morning in Berlin where they are setting up shop for the foreseeable future.

My entire extended family followed their harrowing journey in real-time through their constant updates on a family WhatsApp chat group. Amazingly their spirits were high throughout. Each border crossing was miraculous, (ever tried getting a kid across multiple borders with just a pixelated black and white printout of their birth certificate?) and caring for such a diverse group of children - the youngest of whom is not even six weeks old - for 52 hours on the road is excruciating. But they did not stop smiling, singing and dancing.

This is just one story of so many others happening all around Ukraine as Chabad representatives there, and all along the escape routes, continue providing logistical, material and, most importantly, moral support to everyone and anyone they come in contact with.

This week’s Torah portion states that when the Jews completed building the Mishkan (tabernacle) in the desert, a divine cloud filled it, demonstrating the presence of G-d in their handiwork. It then concludes, “When the cloud rose up from over the Mishkan, the children of Israel set out on all their journeys.”

This is odd because the story of the Israelite journeys through the desert is articulated in great detail later on in the Torah. Why was it necessary to describe the divine cloud leaving the Mishkan while describing the awesome experience of the Jews seeing it fill the Mishkan?

The lesson is that our mission of creating a divine dwelling is not limited to normal times when we are settled, but most importantly when life is disrupted and we are forced to move on to unknown destinations.

A little over a week ago the Jewish community of Ukraine was flourishing and growing, and it’s heartbreaking to think it can all disintegrate. But the first hand reports I’m hearing from friends and family on the ground tell a very different story. Although their conventional infrastructure is horrendously disrupted, it remains as robust as ever - albeit on the move. No one knows what the future holds for them but we know for certain that with the support of us all tucked safely away from the ravages of war, the Chabad infrastructure of Ukraine will continue to flourish wherever their next destination may be.

Please continue to pray on their behalf, do an extra mitzvah in their merit and support them as best as you can from afar. May we merit very soon to experience the dawn of redemption through Moshiach when war and suffering will cease and peace and tranquility will reign for all.

To donate please visit: https://bit.ly/OdessaRelief

~~adapted from my cousin Rabbi Levi Greenberg

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom, have an uplifting week! Looking forward to celebrating together!

Rabbi Mendy & Mussy

p.s. As always, we would love to chat with you over coffee or drinks, about Judaism, or just life - simply reply to this email.

🎶 Listen:

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Simchas Torah Dance Niggun

---> all SXSW info here <---

High Energy Purim Party: Wednesday, March 16

• LIVE MUSIC
• COSTUMES
• OPEN BAR

Purim Masquerade Feast: Thursday, March 17

Celebrate the festival of Purim with a gourmet 5-course feast crafted by a private Chef Celeste Gustafson.

Celebrate with friends, old as the river or new as your neighbor who moved from Cali. 

Celebrate in costume, with masks and sparkles. 

Celebrate the continued miracle of the survival of the Jewish People. 

Ticket prices rise as the banquet fills. Keeping it semi-intimate with a 60 person limit. 

📖 Read:

Not since the Holocaust have there been this many Jewish refugees in Europe. Read about the efforts to care for those displaced by the devastating war in Ukraine. 

Across Europe, Chabad Absorbs Thousands of Jewish Refugees

Today we celebrate the Rosh Chodesh Adar II, the first day of the Hebrew month of Adar II

With Purim right around the corner, here are 10 facts you may not have known about Persian Jews

Have you heard about the new Apple on the block? That's right - Cosmic Crisp!

Watch where it came from and then find out if its kosher

 HIGHLIGHT:

new tefillin bags for the Tefillin 120 Club, borrow a pair of tefillin for 120 days

Tefillin 120 launched in honor of the Rebbe's upcoming 120th birthday

  Upcoming: 

3/4:   TONIGHT First Friday-Shabbat Dinner March

3/11: OpenShabbat at SXSW

3/16: High Energy Purim! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

3/17: Purim Feast GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

3/22: New Moon Circle

4/1: First Friday Shabbat Dinner

4/2: YJCouples Game Night

4/15: YJP Passover Seder

🌱 Grow:

YJP is growing strongly, and these folks with their big hearts are right in the middle of it. 

The YJP Chai Society members are the driving force behind this awesome YJP community, and we are beyond thankful ❤️

Wanna help grow the YJP?  

Consider joining the Chai Society.

Your $18, $36, $54, $72, $100 or $180 monthly gift will turn into programs, activities, and High Energy Judaism.

Get in on the action?

CLICK HERE TO CHAI or reply to this email and we'll give you the rundown.

Openshabbat at SXSW

Join us for the return of #openShabbat at SXSW on March 11!

Click Here to RSVP early!

  Jewish word of the week: 770 (n)

The address, 770 Eastern Parkway, of the central Chabad synagogue where the Rebbe would lead farbrengens, pray, and lead the worldwide Chabad Lubavitch movement. The address took on a life of its own and 770 is shorthand for the Chabad Grand Central Station and the nuclear generator of the energy.

Shabbat Pekudei

Light your candles at 6:14 pm

in Austin, TX

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