Today, these tragic scenes have happily given way to scenes of joy–scenes of a vibrant, spirited Jewish life.After decades of war, destruction and oppression, the Jewish community of Kishinev is experiencing a renaissance, unprecedented in modern times. Jewish life in Kishinev and its neighboring towns is once again alive and well. The catalyst and guiding spirit behind the Jewish community of Kishinev is Rabbi Zalman Abelsky OBM, who, together with his wife of 50 years, has come to Kishinev from his home in Israel, to rebuild Jewish life which languished, a victim of the Holocaust of World War II and the destruction wrecked by the atheistic communist regime.