Despite my overwhelmingly positive Jewish involvements, choosing a Torah life was the most wrenching decision of my life. I feared the constraints of so many mitzvot, even of losing my individuality. Yet having experienced the compelling truth and joy of this life, I voted for a level of Jewish observance my Cohen grandparents had left in Europe.
The Minchenbergs had offered to serve as a drop-off site for an impromptu “IDF Mezuzah Project,” a grassroots campaign that began in the wake of the Gaza War. Its goal: to provide mezuzot for the doorposts of every Israeli Army base, as a form of Divine protection for the soldiers in their ongoing battle against Hamas terrorists.
Jewish Ukraine is a different place today than it was thirty years ago. A lot has changed.
Reichmann used his business and political connections to lobby on behalf of Jews throughout the Soviet Empire, leveraging his influence with world figures on behalf of unknown Jews.