Poltava, Ukraine

Located on the Vorskla River in Central Ukraine, Poltava boasted a bustling Jewish community prior to World War II. Today, the city has around 4000 community members, most of whom are unaffiliated. Chabad Rabbi, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Segal, has done amazing work in recent years to change the status quo. He runs the shul, a Chabad Center and a Jewish educational network for the children, which has resulted in an awakening within the community. 

Rabbi Segal reports that the presence of a kosher Mikvah has been so impactful to the community—it has increased the level of Kedushah in the entire region! Prior to the Mikvah’s establishment there were approximately eight families traveling for Mikvah. Today, the beautiful facility serves as tremendous encouragement and many more families have opened up to the idea. There are now more than 30 families committed to this important mitzvah and the number of users keeps increasing day after day. 

Aside from the locals, the Mikvah is also used frequently by guests visiting the grave of the Baal Hatanya, who is buried in the nearby town of Haditch.