Shmuel Milman, a congregant of the Khmelnytskyi synagogue, deeply wished to pray properly. However, this was challenging for him: the old siddurim of various editions placed the texts on different pages, some prayers were incomplete, and often only referenced, requiring constant page-turning to find the right section. Shmuel was anxious that he might make a mistake or recite a prayer incorrectly. He dreamed of the day when a siddur would contain the full, sequential text of the prayers—and of having identical siddurim so that everyone in the synagogue could praise the Almighty in unity and harmony.
That day has come—not only for Shmuel Milman, but for hundreds of congregants in synagogues across Ukrainian cities who have received these books thanks to the initiative of philanthropist Yuri Nikitenko, with the support of the Jewish Community of Dnipro. The campaign titled “1,000 Sacred Jewish Books for the Communities of Ukraine” began just before Shavuot, and Jewish communities in many cities have already received sets of books under this program.
The synagogues of Khmelnytskyi (Rabbi Yosef Teitelboim), Kremenchuk (Rabbi Shlomo Salamon), Lviv (Rabbi Mendel Gottlieb), Mykolaiv (Rabbi Sholom Gottlieb), and two Kyiv communities—”Simcha” (Rabbi Mordechai Levenhartz) and “Obolon” (Rabbi Sholom Gopin)—each received 50 Siddurim, 50 Chumashim, and 50 Tehillim. Additionally, the same number of books was sent to smaller communities across central and western Ukraine under the leadership of Rabbi Nochum Tamarkin. The Jewish Lyceum of Dnipro also received a special gift—145 Tehillim books and 13 Chumashim for its graduates.
Shmuel Milman from Khmelnytskyi did not hide his joy:
“Our Proskuriv community (note: Proskuriv is the historical name of Khmelnytskyi until 1954 and was known as a Jewish center of learning and printing for centuries ) gives praise to those who gifted us these wonderful books—so beautifully published, convenient, and practical. In the Chumash, which includes the Torah and Haftarah texts, there are commentaries by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and the Siddurim are exactly what we dreamed of—complete, with the full, sequential text of every prayer. They are so beautifully printed, it feels good to hold them in your hands; you want to kiss them and bless those who gave them to us. On behalf of all the Jews of our community, and all the communities that received this amazing gift, I express our heartfelt gratitude. May your generosity be rewarded with strong health, material success, peace, and inner serenity—for you and your loved ones.”
His words were echoed by all the rabbis and congregants of the participating communities. Rabbi Shlomo Salamon of Kremenchuk emphasized that it was a special honor for his community that Yuri Nikitenko personally came to deliver the books. Distribution is still ongoing, and by Shavuot, the total number of sacred books given to Ukrainian synagogues is expected to exceed even the original goal—reaching 1,250 books, rather than just 1,000.
It is deeply symbolic that this campaign took place in the lead-up to the Festival of the Giving of the Torah—fulfilling the call of the leader of our generation, the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to spread Jewish books and fill the world with holiness.
