“…the name Yossie Raichik will forever be synonymous with life.”

Rabbi Yossie Raichik (z”l), our dear friend, inspirational leader, founder and former Director of Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl (CCOC), will never be forgotten. The projects, endeavors and accomplishments of CCOC are tributes to Yossie’s lifetime of achievements.

Yossie began CCOC in 1990 and served as its Director for exactly 18 years. In Hebrew, the number 18 is the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew word “chai”, which means “life”. Reversing the number “18”, we get the number “81”, which is exactly the number of rescue flights Yossie was responsible for, bringing life to 2,547 children. Adding these digits together (2+5+4+7), the sum is once again 18: “chai”, life.

Unfortunately Yossie was taken from this world too early; however the name Yossie Raichik will forever be synonymous with life. Yossie accomplished in 55 years what most of us could not dream of accomplishing in an entire lifetime.

We still think of Yossie every day. We are constantly reminded of his wonderful deeds and determination, and the sage advice he would share with so many of those who would seek it. Stories of Yossie fill our days, and the lessons with which he left us guide our actions and decisions.

Yossie left this earth, but his spirit lives on. His vision and dedication drive CCOC on a daily basis. The work of the entire organization is undoubtedly infused with the holy spirit of Yossie Raichik, who continues to be a part of all that we do here at CCOC and the thousands of children’s lives who have been saved.