Additional security measures to be taken in Ukrainian synagogues

A synagogue’s window was shot out in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, 130 miles southeast of Kyiv. The 9mm hole was discovered in early May, according to the news website Jewish.ru, but the reporting of the disturbing incident was delayed until last Monday in order ‘to prevent panic in the Jewish community of the city’.

Rabbi Mayer Stambler, head of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Ukraine, expressed doubts about the nature of the shot: “We don’t think it was actually from a gun. It might have been a small stone, it might have been a different ammunition. Children might have done it. We don’t know exactly what the situation was and that’s why we are careful not to give any more information.”

The old surveillance camera at the synagogue did not record the shot. No injuries were reported and no bullet was found at the scene. 

It was initially thought the shot was fired from an air gun or traumatic weapon, but Rabbi Stambler pointed out that the hole and the cracks were only visible on the outer glass of the double-pan window, the inner glass remained intact. “That’s why it’s hard to believe that it was really a bullet. If it was a real bullet, it would break through both windows,” he explained.

The head of the FJC in Ukraine added that local authorities take all threats very seriously and are working to investigate the incident further. He urged Jewish communities throughout Ukraine to be more careful these days and to take all necessary precautions to ensure their safety in public places.

Photos provided by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.