The city of Sumy, located within a region of the same name, sits on the banks of the Psel River and has a population of more than 250,000 people, making it one of the larger cities in Ukraine. The city’s history dates back to the 1650’s when it was established by the Cossacks, and quickly became an important military center. Over the next hundred years the city transformed into an industrial center that included a large sugar refinery and a rail station.
By the late 1800s, Jews made up a sizable portion of the population (20-30%); but prior to World War II, when Ukraine was home to the largest Jewish population in Europe, the percent of Jews in Sumy had declined to just 5%. During the war, one and a half million Jews were killed in Ukraine, including more than 1,000 in Sumy. Hundreds of other Jews in Sumy were imprisoned and forced into hard labor.
After World War II, Sumy grew to nearly 100,000 people by 1960, and then swelled to more than 300,000 in 1991. But, the Jewish population remained small, numbering about 3,000 people in the city and surrounding area.
In 2014, many internally displaced persons, including Jews, who had fled their homes in Crimea after the invasion, settled in Sumy where they found a warm and welcoming community. In February 2022, Sumy was one of the first cities to come under attack, as it is located only 15 miles from the Russian border. Members of the Jewish community were lost and the city sustained significant damage. By early April 2022, the city was back entirely under Ukrainian control, and thanks to the support of Rabbi Levitansky and his wife Rochi, the Jewish community has endured. Recently, in celebration of the rabbi’s 50th birthday, more than 50 Jewish men from the city gathered to put on tefillin in his honor, and 50 women came to the synagogue on Friday evening to light Shabbat candles.
The people of Sumy and throughout Ukraine face many challenges and uncertainties, but the rabbis, staff and volunteers work tirelessly to help with daily essentials as well as build for the future.
With your help, we continue to save lives and restore hope.
