- June 23, 2026
- 5:53 pm
- Ukraine
On June 18, 2026, a large prayer breakfast was held in Dnipro, bringing together about 400 participants from different regions, denominations, and social backgrounds. Representatives of religious communities, authorities, public organizations, medical professionals, educators, youth, volunteers, chaplains, and people who work daily with pain, loss, and hope during the war gathered at one table.
This event became more than an official meeting. In Dnipro, a city that has long lived near the front and has become one of the important centers of assistance to frontline territories, they spoke about prayer for Ukraine, its people, peace, and a dignified future.
The Ukrainian press called this event the First Prayer Breakfast of Ukraine’s Frontline Territories. Representatives from ten regions participated: Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Sumy, Kherson, Odesa, and Chernihiv. Each of these territories knows in its own way what war is: shelling, evacuation, destroyed homes, hospitals, military hospitals, volunteer work, and the anticipation of people who must return home.
Dnipro as a place of common prayer
The choice of Dnipro for such an event was not accidental. This city has become one of the key rear hubs for the front and frontline communities. Through it pass the wounded, displaced persons, volunteer aid, humanitarian initiatives, and thousands of human stories that do not fit into dry reports.
According to participants’ publications, the prayer breakfast was held in the Menora Grand Hall of the “Menora” complex. For Dnipro, this place holds special significance: the “Menora” complex has long been associated with the life of the city’s Jewish community and is well known far beyond the Dnipropetrovsk region.
But the meaning of the meeting was broader than any venue. At the center was a common prayer for Ukraine, for its defenders, for people living under the threat of Russian strikes, for children, for the return home of those forced to leave, and for the country’s future after the war.
Frontline regions spoke with one voice
Representatives of regions that today bear a huge burden came to the prayer breakfast. Dnipropetrovsk hosted the guests. Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Sumy, Kherson, Odesa, and Chernihiv brought their experience of living near the war.
Such a meeting is important precisely because it was not limited to protocol. Frontline territories need not only government decisions, army assistance, and infrastructure restoration. They need a common support — human, spiritual, social. In Dnipro, they tried to express this support through prayer and conversation between people who are usually engaged in a completely different reality: saving, healing, protecting, helping, and surviving.
The Jewish community of Dnipro among the participants of the meeting
One of the important lines of the event was the participation of the Jewish community of Dnipro. In a message from the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, it was emphasized that the Jewish community of the city traditionally participates in initiatives aimed at developing interfaith dialogue, strengthening social unity, and supporting Ukraine through spiritual and moral values.
This is an important emphasis for the entire article. The Jewish community here acts not as an outside observer, but as part of the Ukrainian social space during the war. It participates in the general conversation about faith, responsibility, support for people, and the country’s future.
Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki of Dnipro and the region addressed the participants. He spoke about love, respect, and unity as the foundation of a strong society and emphasized Ukraine’s special role in the modern world.
“Once Ukraine was one of 195 countries in the world, and today the whole world is watching Ukraine,” noted Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.
This phrase sounded like an accurate description of the current moment. Today, Ukraine has indeed become a country watched not only by politicians and diplomats but also by millions of people in different parts of the world. Its struggle has become a test of resilience, dignity, and the ability of society not to fall apart under the pressure of war.
He concluded his speech with the prayer “Oseh Shalom” wishing peace to Ukraine and Israel.
That is why NAnovosti — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency considers this story as part of the chronicle of Jewish life in Ukraine during the war. In Dnipro, the Jewish community did not stand aside from the general Ukrainian dialogue but became one of the forces that support mutual respect, social unity, and moral resilience.
Who was among the religious and social participants
Representatives of different religious traditions and communities participated in the event.
The head of the Dnipro diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Simeon, spoke about the importance of the unity of Ukrainians in a common prayer for the state and its future.
In Ukrainian reports, the theme of religious unity of Ukrainians in the face of Russian aggression was also voiced. Alongside Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants in the common prayer space was the Jewish community of Dnipro led by Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki. The participation of military chaplains added a special meaning to the meeting: for the front and frontline territories, spiritual support has long been part of daily reality.
Among the participants and speakers were also mentioned the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Hanzha, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council Mykola Lukashuk, the mayor of Dnipro Borys Filatov, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Council Tetyana Yehorova-Lutsenko, the People’s Deputy of Ukraine Oleksiy Krasov, and the representative of the Ukrainian Prayer Breakfast Movement Pavlo Unguryan.
Representatives from other regions also joined the event, including the head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration Oleksiy Kharchenko, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Council Olena Zhuk, representatives of the Mykolaiv region Ihor Shcherbina and Andriy Shostak, as well as the deputy head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration Oleksandr Shevchenko. Via video link, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and Julie S. Davis, representing the USA in Ukraine, addressed the participants.
Prayer for Ukraine, people, and a dignified future
During the meeting, they spoke about faith, spiritual responsibility, love for the Motherland, and the need to maintain moral values even in the most difficult periods of war. These were not abstract words. For frontline regions, moral resilience often means the ability to continue working, helping, healing, teaching children, supporting the military, and not allowing fear to destroy society from within.
Julie S. Davis in her address expressed support for Ukraine and emphasized the importance of a common prayer for a just peace — a peace that will honor Ukraine’s defenders and give a future to the next generations.
A separate strong human story was the participation of a military man, Hero of Ukraine Vlad Stotsky. He recounted that he was surrounded by Russian forces for 68 days and after what he experienced, he came to faith. In such a detail, the whole meaning of the meeting becomes clearer: prayer here was not a beautiful ritual, but the language of people who know the value of life, salvation, and return.
Why this event is important for Ukraine
The prayer breakfast in Dnipro showed that frontline Ukraine is held not only by the army and state institutions. It is also held by communities, volunteers, clergy, rabbis, chaplains, doctors, educators, local leaders, and people who do not allow the war to destroy trust between different parts of society.
Religious communities in such a situation become not only a place of prayer. They help people, support families, work with displaced persons, talk to the military, gather around those who need support. Therefore, the participation of the Jewish community of Dnipro in the prayer breakfast is important not in itself, but as part of a broader picture of Ukrainian resilience.
In Dnipro, different denominations and different regions gathered not for loud declarations. They gathered to pray for Ukraine, for its people, for peace, and for a dignified future. And this became the main content of the event: when a country goes through war, the ability of people of different traditions to speak to each other in the language of respect becomes one of the forms of strength.
