UKRAINIAN CHIEF RABBI'S HOUSE TORCHED

Ukrainian rabbi's house burned (JTA)
Vandals set fire to the home of the chief rabbi of a Ukraine city. The unknown vandals broke into the Chabad center of Uzhgorod on Oct. 5, during the holiday of Simchat Torah, and set fire to the home of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taichman, the chief rabbi of Uzhgorod and the Transcarpathian region.

Rabbi Taichman, his wife and children were celebrating the holiday in the nearby city of Mukachevo. When they returned home Friday evening, they found the lock forced and their Uzhgorod home looted. The intruders stole money, passports and some official records and documents. Law enforcement agencies are investigating the case but no arrests have been reported.

Uzhgorod, a Ukrainian city located on the border with Slovakia, is home to an active Jewish community that is a member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.