Mossad has warned rabbis in Ukraine they are being targeted by invading troops and should leave, according to the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel.

Speaking at his weekly shiur, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef welcomed the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv, Yonatan Markovitch, after his dramatic evacuation from Ukraine just days before.

Rabbi Yosef praised the Kyiv Rabbi, saying “he was there until Thursday, caring for his community, and took care of all the needs of the community”.

He said that Rabbi Markovitch had received warnings from Mossad and the Shin Bet on Thursday “that the Chechens wanted to harm him,” so he was smuggled out by soldiers along with other Ukrainian Rabbis. Chechen fighters are among Putins’ invading forces.

Israeli intelligence agencies are known to share information with diplomatic staff around the world. They alert Jewish and Israeli communities abroad about potential threats to their lives or their wellbeing.

Israeli diplomats in Ukraine and neighbouring countries have been working non-stop on the ground to evacuate thousands of Jewish and Israeli refugees, often assisting them to reach the border and then to pass over into neighbouring countries. They have also helped many Arabs and other non-Jews.

Rabbi  Markovitch told the JC last week that he planned to remain in Ukraine to care for his community, may of who are old and infirm. However, Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi said that the intelligence warnings prompted him to flee.

Speaking at the same event, Rabbi Markovitch said his community of thousands of Jews in Kyiv had almost no food left, but what food and drink they did have was thanks to Rabbi Yosef’s efforts and intervention. 

He thanked Rabbi Yosef for his intervention, saying: “One can see how much he thinks of all Jews from the letter he sent from Israel to Ukraine.” He added. “The Rav worries about all Jews wherever they are.”

Chabad director of public relations Rabbi Motti Seligson told the JC that rabbis who fled Ukraine are continuing to work for community members who remained in the war zone: “They spend all their time and effort  providing for them from outside the country.”