Germany’s foreign minister, Johann “Jo” Wadephul, paid an emotional visit Thursday to the Mishpacha Ukraina orphanage, whose children Berlin helped evacuate under fire three years ago at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Wadephul – appointed to the post in January after Chancellor Friedrich Merz formed a center-right government – toured the Chabad-run complex with Germany’s ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Jäger, and Odessa honorary consul Alexander Kippke. They were welcomed by Chief Rabbi of southern Ukraine Avraham Wolff and his wife, Chaya, who have run the home for 124 orphans since 1996.
German authorities airlifted the children to safety in 2022
During the 2022 Russian onslaught, German authorities fast-tracked temporary passports at the Polish–German border and airlifted the children to safety. Some later returned to Odessa, while others remained in German foster care and Jewish schools.
Standing in a refurbished classroom still scarred by wartime shrapnel, Wadephul told the youngsters in English: “We did not come only to look – we came to guarantee you security and success. We haven’t forgotten you for a moment, and we will keep doing everything in our power so that you have a better future.”
The orphans presented the minister with a silver replica of one of those wartime passports, issued to an eight-year-old named Tuvia. “This gift will forever remind you of the kindness Germany showed us at our darkest hour,” said Igor Shatakhin, president of the Union of Jewish Communities of southern Ukraine.
Wolff, who shuttles between Ukraine and Israel, briefed the delegation on the home’s challenges: power cuts during drone attacks, trauma counseling, and finding teachers willing to work near the front. “Seeing the children here, speaking Hebrew and feeling at home, is nothing short of a miracle,” he said.
Wadephul distributed German chocolates, while the children sang Hebrew songs. Earlier in the day, they had wrapped tefillin and celebrated belated bar-mitzvah ceremonies for several boys who turned 13 while sheltering abroad.
The visit came as Germany deepens military and humanitarian aid to Kyiv and as antisemitism spikes across Europe. “In times when the Jewish link to this region is denied, Germany’s presence here is a moral compass,” Wolff said.
The event ended with prayers for peace “in Ukraine and in Israel,” followed by a pledge from Wadephul that Berlin would continue funding medical supplies and generators for Odessa’s Jewish institutions.