During his recent trip to Israel, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv Yonatan Markovitch toured Samaria as a guest of Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan. During the visit, Rabbi Markovitch proposed the formation of a joint task force to help establish resettlement clusters for Jewish refugees from Ukraine in West Bank communities.
A Plan to Resettle Families Displaced by War
The proposal emerged from a previous meeting between Rabbi Markovitch and Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer, where the need for organized support in absorbing Ukrainian refugees was discussed. Dagan welcomed the idea, offering to create a collaborative working group between his council and the Kyiv Chief Rabbinate. The initiative would aim to settle Ukrainian Jewish families in various communities across Samaria, framing it as both a humanitarian mission and a Zionist opportunity.
Solidarity Across Continents
Rabbi Markovitch thanked Dagan and emphasized the spiritual and national significance of Jewish solidarity. “It is moving to see mutual responsibility stretch across continents,” he said. “The global Jewish community must continue to stand with those affected by war.”
As part of the tour, Rabbi Markovitch received a strategic briefing on Jewish settlement in Samaria, visited Mitzpe Yosef, and paid a condolence visit to the Gez family in Bruchin, mourning the tragic loss of a mother and child in a recent terror attack.
A Personal and Emotional Encounter
At the Gez home, Rabbi Markovitch was deeply affected by the family’s spiritual strength. He shared that the Kyiv Jewish Community Center (JCC) had dedicated its daily food distribution in memory of the murdered mother and infant. “I came to offer strength,” the rabbi said, “but I left strengthened by their unwavering faith and grace in the face of loss.”
Strengthening Bonds Between Israel and the Diaspora
Yossi Dagan praised the proposed initiative as a Zionist opportunity to both grow Jewish communities in Samaria and deepen ties with world Jewry. “This is more than an act of solidarity—it is a step toward securing our collective future in Samaria and in the Land of Israel,” he said.
