Tens of Thousands of Kosher Ice Creams and Dairy Products to Bring Shavuot Joy to Ukraine’s Jews

As Shavuot approaches, Ukraine’s Jewish communities are preparing for the holiday with a large-scale effort to bring sweetness, dignity, and tradition to thousands of families and children living through ongoing hardship. Led by Chabad’s Jewish Relief Network Ukraine (JRNU), local production lines have been specially prepared to produce tens of thousands of kosher ice creams and a wide range of dairy products for distribution in more than 50 Jewish communities across the country. The initiative will enable families to observe the cherished Shavuot custom of enjoying dairy foods, even amid serious economic and humanitarian challenges.

Alongside the ice cream distribution, JRNU is also coordinating the delivery of generous food packages filled with quality dairy products, including fresh milk, fruit yogurts, cream, cream cheese, mozzarella, and other holiday staples. The products were prepared under the strict supervision of the Ukraine Kashrut Committee (UK), under the leadership of Rabbi Pinchas Vishedski, a senior rabbi in Kyiv.

A central part of the Shavuot campaign will be the organization of gatherings across Ukraine for the reading of the Ten Commandments, following the well-known instruction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe that every Jewish child should have the opportunity to hear the reading on the holiday. Children have also been invited to special festive programs, where they will receive treats and take part in warm community celebrations.

“Our goal is to bring a little sweetness to the children and to Jewish families for Shavuot,” said one of the Chabad emissaries in Kyiv. “The families here are going through an unimaginable period, but we are not giving up on a single child or a single family.”

JRNU emphasized that the distribution of the dairy packages and ice creams will continue in a focused effort before the holiday, ensuring that Jewish families across Ukraine can gather around the Shavuot table and experience the familiar joy, warmth, and traditions of the festival.