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Torah translated into Ukrainian for first time despite printing press being hit by Russian strikes
‘This is truly a huge step forward for all Ukrainian-speaking Jews,’ said Chief Rabbi Moshe Azman
October 28, 2025 15:22
‘This is truly a huge step forward for all Ukrainian-speaking Jews,’ said Chief Rabbi Moshe Azman
October 28, 2025 15:22The Torah has been translated into Ukrainian en masse for the first time after a challenging two-year production process amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The first print run of several hundred copies came out on Simchat Torah earlier this month and has been sent out to Jewish communities all across the country. Thousands more are set to be printed, all with the Hebrew text displayed beside Ukrainian translation.
Publishers faced several delays as the printing process was reportedly disrupted by an onslaught of Russian strikes, but eventually, the work was completed.
Orthodox news outlet Col Live reports that the project was run by Mikhail Shifrin, 53, from Kharkiv, the owner of a large printing company and Rabbi Mayer Stambler, the chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU).
Another rabbi, Levi Engelsman, who was also involved in the project, said: “More than ten translators and editors worked on translating the Torah into Ukrainian, a process that altogether took about two years.
"We made a major effort to complete the printing before Simchat Torah, and I’m proud that we met our deadline."
The Torah was first translated into Russian in the 1800s, but when Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the use of Ukrainian as a first language increased dramatically. The use of Russian has continued to decline over the years, and today, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), only 15 per cent of Ukrainians speak it as their primary language.
Rabbi Engelsman said: "This is a historic moment and a great help for many Jews who no longer speak Russian or any other language besides Ukrainian.”
The Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Moshe Azman, took to X to say: “For the first time in the history of modern Ukraine, the Torah has been published in Ukrainian.
"The Torah is the foundation for every Jew. It is the most important book of all Jewish books. It is a true instruction manual on how a Jew should live. From the Torah, we take laws that apply to all aspects of human life, and that is more than 613 commandments.
“I am very grateful to the FJCU for its painstaking work, which lasted more than two years. I am grateful to everyone who participated: translators, linguists, and rabbis. This is truly a huge step forward for all Ukrainian-speaking Jews.”
Ukraine has one of the largest populations of hereditary Jews in the world, at around a quarter of a million. However, many of those with Jewish ancestry do not identify as Jewish, leading to the official population sitting at around 40,000.
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