In what Chabad is describing as a “miracle in Odesa,” over a hundred Jewish teenagers relocated from the Bristol Hotel hours before it was hit by a Russian missile, the Jewish organization said on Monday.
The missile attack last weekend destroyed the hotel and the Jewish University of Odesa building.
Russian military bloggers claimed Moscow was targeting foreign military specialists staying in the building.
The teenagers, from Kharkiv, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Kamianske, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Kremenchuk, Kyiv, Sumy, and Dnipro, congregated to play in the EnerJew Champions League Winter Seminar.
“It was incredibly moving to witness the enormous enthusiasm and joy of these young people,” shared Rabbi Itamar Wolf. “They are living through challenging times that naturally could dim their spirits, yet here at the seminar, they were filled with happiness while strengthening their Jewish identity, connecting to their roots, and forming friendships with peers from across Ukraine. We thank the Almighty for the great miracle of keeping our children safe and sound.”
Students from the university were temporarily dismissed until new premises could be found. Ynet reported that the institute is home to over 100 students who are graduates of the Mishpacha orphanage in Odessa.
Ukrainian officials comment on the Russian attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack was “a deliberate strike” that underscored again the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses.
He said Norwegian diplomats had been among those “who were in the epicenter of the strike” in the historic district.
Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said seven people were injured, and emergency crews remained at the scene.
Online pictures posted by Kiper and by Odesa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov showed the lobby and other parts of the Hotel Bristol, a luxury landmark built at the end of the 19th century, reduced to rubble.
The Odesa Philharmonic concert hall, opposite the hotel, suffered damage, with many of its windows smashed.
Online video showed fragments strewn on a street several hundred meters (yards) away near the opulent opera house from the same era. Museums in the district also suffered damage.
Kiper told national television that three explosions had resounded at intervals, which he described as a “well-established practice” by the Russian military of repeated attacks on the same target.
“However, in this case, a missile capable of penetrating concrete was used,” he said while standing in a street near emergency crews.
“This means it was deliberately aimed at a civilian hotel to destroy the floors and structures inside, causing destruction and, of course, killing civilians staying there at the time.”
