WARSAW – As Rosh Hashanah approaches, her fourth since discovering her Jewish faith through Chabad of Poland, Boryslava Bilotserkivska, known on stage as Brava!, reflects not just on a new year, but on an entirely new life.
Before the war, Boryslava was an accomplished Ukrainian singer, songwriter and creative director in Kyiv. Her days were filled with music, creativity and ambition. She had just recorded new songs and was preparing to launch her biggest artistic projects yet.
Then came a phone call that shattered everything.
โIt was five in the morning,โ she recalls. โMy friend called and said, โBoryslavka, get ready. The war has started.โ I looked out the window and saw tanks. It was real.โ
It was February 24, 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine.
Her first thoughts were for her daughter Adelina, then nine, who has autism and speech delays and for her mother Klara, who is disabled and unable to move quickly. They were already in Lviv and Boryslava began a harrowing journey west from Kyiv through chaos and fear.
Once reunited in Lviv, they hoped for safety. But air raid sirens soon became a daily terror. โAdelina would scream every time. My mother couldnโt get to a shelter. I realized we had to leave.โ
After days of searching for a way out, she secured seats on an evacuation bus to Poland. On March 5, 2022, they arrived in Warsaw, exhausted, frightened and uncertain.
โWe had three suitcases and each other,โ she remembers. โI thought weโd stay a week, then go home. But the war didnโt stop. And we had to start over.โ
A message from a local Jewish contact led her to Chabad of Poland. The next morning, a man named Mikhail called and offered them shelter at the Hampton by Hilton in downtown Warsaw.
โI couldnโt believe it,โ Boryslava says. โAfter everything, we had a safe place to sleep. It felt like a miracle.โ
What she didnโt know at the time was that she and her family had just become part of an international effort to support Jewish refugees fleeing the war.
Since the beginning of the war, Chabad of Poland, based in Warsaw, has helped thousands of Jewish refugees from Ukraine, supporting them with safe housing, kosher food, transportation, medical aid, financial assistance, childcare, education, legal help and community programming. The demand has been overwhelming and Chabad of Polandโs operational costs have risen by more than 3 million dollars.
For Boryslava, Chabad of Poland became much more than a safety net. It became a second home.
โThey didnโt just help us survive,โ she says. โThey helped us live. They reminded us who we are.โ
In the months that followed, she found herself slowly reclaiming her voice. She sang at Jewish events, attended Shabbat dinners and began learning about Judaism for the first time in her life. For someone who had never truly explored her Jewish identity before, it felt like a homecoming.
โI learned about the soul, about divine purpose, about light even in darkness,โ she says. โThe teachings of the Rebbe gave me hope.โ
With the guidance of Rabbi Sholom Ber and Dina Stambler, directors of Chabad of Poland, she embraced a life of faith and meaning. She began observing Jewish traditions, learning about her heritage and celebrating holidays she had never marked before.
Now, as she prepares for her fourth Rosh Hashanah since stepping into this new life, the symbolism is not lost on her.
โRosh Hashanah is about creation, about beginning again,โ she says. โThatโs exactly what happened to us. We lost everything and yet, we were given the chance to start again.โ
Her daughter Adelina began to speak more, to draw and to sing. Once mostly nonverbal, she began laughing, creating and even saying โMamaโ again. Her artwork has been displayed in exhibitions and won awards. Klaraโs health has remained fragile, especially after suffering a heart attack, but in Warsaw she receives proper care and ongoing psychological support.
Meanwhile, Boryslava has continued to grow. She began volunteering for organizations that support Ukrainian refugees and children with disabilities. She took courses in business, marketing and artificial intelligence, earned a diploma in film and television production management and even acted in a Polish film.
โI want to organize an international inclusive arts festival again,โ she says. โIn Ukraine, I hosted one every year. I believe children with disabilities have incredible talents the world needs to see.โ
But above all, she has found strength in something deeper.
โThe Rebbe taught that we each have a divine spark and a mission. That even in exile, we can find purpose,โ she says. โThat message changed my life.โ
As she enters this High Holiday season, she carries not just memories of war and loss, but a soul awakened.
โEach Rosh Hashanah is a chance to look at where weโve been and where weโre going,โ she says. โAnd this year, I know: I am proud to be Jewish, proud to be part of a community that comes together to support one another. I am proud to be alive. And I am proud to keep building.โ
To support Chabad of Polandโs ongoing efforts to support Ukrainian Jewish refugees, visitย www.saveajew.org.