The Jewish community of Zhitomir received a delegation of rabbis visiting from France. Led by Chief Rabbi of France Gilles Bernheim, the delegation also included Rabbi Moshe Levin, Chief Rabbi and Chaplain of the French Police, and Rabbi Elie Bernheim.
In the Zhitomir synagogue, hundreds of people came out to greet the guests, including community members and students from the Ohr Avner Chabad Day School. The rabbis’ visit coincided with the celebration of the first haircut (“opshernish”) of the son of Chief Rabbi of Zhitomir Shlomo Wilhelm.
Rabbi Gilles Bernheim was pleasantly surprised to witness how organized Jewish communal life is in this Ukrainian city and especially by the level of education provided at the various Jewish institutions in Zhitomir.
The French delegation also traveled to the city of Berdichev, where they visited the grave of the great sage Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev. The members of the delegation were welcomed by Chief Rabbi of Berdichev Moshe Taller, who, like Rabbi Wilhelm, is a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary serving in the region.
From Berdichev, the Chief Rabbi of France travelled to Kiev, where he met with the French Ambassador to Ukraine and shared his impressions about his visit to this country.