A rabbi and his wife in the southern Ukraine city of Pervomaisk will be opening the area's only kosher store next month.

According to Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Levi Yitshak Perlstein, the city's chief rabbi, they decided to embark on the project after a student from one of his 15 weekly classes came up to and asked, "Why don't you open a kosher food store? Let's open something!"

Perlstein said that the nearest kosher supermarket is two regions away in Donetsk, from which he gets deliveries for his family of five and for events in the community.

RELATED

"The store is going to be a place where we will sell everything that is kosher, including meat and chicken, milk products, bread, drinks and pretty much everything else besides fruit and vegetables, which can be bought at the regular market," elaborated Perlstein.

The goal of the store, he added, is to make it possible for the estimated 3,000 Jews in the community to keep kosher. The only other limiting factor besides availability, he said, is the high price of kosher food.

"It would be great to find a sponsor who would subsidize at least most of the difference in price," said Perlstein, "If I could find such a sponsor, everyone who wants will be able to eat kosher."

The store itself will be located in the center city building that currently houses the Pervomaisk synagogue and community center.

In addition, a new Hebrew school for some 60 children is opening at the location on Sunday.