Ukrainian-American Jews Pray, Anxiously Await News from Family

Following news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been scary in a personal way for Rabbi Menachem Shemtov and his wife Racheli. The latter grew up in Kyiv, where her father, Rabbi Jonathan Markovitch, is referred to as chief rabbi. Markovitch and his family had the opportunity to leave recently but chose to stay. "They felt it was their duty to be there for their community," said Shemtov, the director of Chabad Georgetown in Washington, D.C.