In the Ukrainian village of Bila Tserkva on Wednesday, an old Jew who had no Jewish living relatives passed suddenly.
Before the local rabbi learned the situation and Hatzalah volunteered Naftali Rabinovich from the Uman branch of the organization, a Christian funeral service for the deceased was scheduled.
On a special delegation dispatched by the organization to deliver generators to schools, orphanages, and medical facilities around the city, Rabinovich was in Bila Tserkva along with CEO Eli Pollak, VP of Operations Dov Maisel, and more volunteers.
The effort got underway on Tuesday in response to the severe electrical scarcity brought on by the war and the brutal winter weather.
Members of the group quickly interrupted the distribution to rush to the cemetery, where the deceased was about to be buried according to Christian tradition.
They promptly removed the crosses from the casket and draped his body in a talit before holding a Jewish burial after getting the go-ahead from the authorities.
Team members prayed for the deceased by reciting Tehillim and saying the Kaddish and El Maleh Rahamim.
The deceased was subsequently transported to his final resting place, the wooden coffin was lowered into the ground, and the grave was then covered with soil. This was done by Jewish tradition.
Dov Maisel, the organization’s vice president of operations, continued, “United Hatzalah takes satisfaction in helping everyone, whether Jewish or not.
In one case, we temporarily stopped our generator deliveries to assist a man in having a decent funeral per his religious beliefs.
It was an urgent appeal to give someone in need the proper funeral.
CEO of United Hatzalah Eli Pollack said, “This was a humbling and moving event for me.
To display the kaddish for one of our fellow Jews who were due to have a non-Jewish funeral, we could scrounge together a minyan (quorum of ten males).
I’m grateful that I could participate in this act of kindness toward kindness.
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