FAU Registers Kanaani Cats: A Quiet Miracle Linking New York, Kyiv, and Jerusalem

Sometimes the journey of a rare animal is more than a set of documents or formal procedures. Sometimes it is a warm thread that connects countries, destinies, and people who care. This is what happened today with the Kanaani, the only cat breed originating from Israel and now standing on the edge of extinction. My three Kanaani cats — Haifa, Arbus, and Layla — are now undergoing official registration with FAU (Feline Association of Ukraine), the largest and most respected feline association in Ukraine, affiliated with the WCF.

For some, this may be ordinary news. For me — as a rabbi and an animal chaplain in training — it is a quiet spiritual joy: whenever we show kindness toward living beings, the world becomes softer, and the Divine feels closer.

The Kanaani breed began in Israel in the early 1990s with a single act of compassion. On the outskirts of Jerusalem lived Dorothea Polaczek, a woman who cared for and fed large groups of stray cats — as often happens in Israel, where thirty or more cats may live near a single home. Some of them came into her house, some stayed outside, but they were united by one thing: here they were treated with warmth and kindness. Without even realizing it, Dorothea was fulfilling the ancient Jewish teaching of tza’ar ba’alei chayim — compassionate, gentle treatment of all living creatures.

One day she found an injured or sick African wildcat on the street, brought him home, and nursed him back to strength. Once he recovered and lived among the stray cats that stayed inside her home, several of those cats gave birth to kittens from him. Thus, from a single act of compassion came the first litters that would become the foundation of the future Kanaani breed.

The African wildcat (Felis lybica) became the “wild father” of the breed, and the Jerusalem street cats became its mothers.

And we were all fortunate that from that chance encounter on the outskirts of Jerusalem a unique Israeli line emerged. But time has shown that even what is born from kindness requires care — otherwise the world may lose it.

The breed was registered as experimental within the WCF system in 2010, but soon after it fell silent: no official breeders remained, and only a handful of undocumented enthusiasts in Israel kept fragments of the original line alive.

The first organization to support us was ARBC — Association of Rare Breeds of Cats, an international body with branches in Germany, France, Romania, and Ukraine, and its headquarters in Nizhyn, Chernihiv region. Thanks to the patience and guidance of Anna Kolesnichenko, all documents were finalized and the historical Israeli type of the breed was officially recognized.

Then came support from Pedigree Club UK, known for its practical approach and ability to work with rare lines without unnecessary bureaucracy. They confirmed the strong resemblance of my cats to the original Jerusalem type.

And now — the third step.

FAU (Feline Association of Ukraine), the largest and most authoritative feline association in Ukraine, has also recognized my Kanaani cats. Yesterday marked the beginning of a new stage: FAU officially began the registration process for the Kanaani breed. I received the application form, filled it out immediately, and submitted a complete package of materials — pedigrees, photographs, and all documents confirming the breed’s origin and authenticity.

For a breed standing on the brink of extinction, this is far more than a formality. It is another step toward Tikun Olam — healing and improving the world through compassionate actions. FAU experts, Alexander Melnikov and Natalia Melnikova, demonstrated professionalism, gentleness, and sincere respect — everything that defines true mastery in this field. Their involvement is a mitzvah performed with heart.

Today I serve as the director of the Salita Foundation, a nonprofit established by my brother, Dmitriy Salita, former WBF world champion and member of both the New York Professional Boxing Hall of Fame and the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. The foundation is now dedicated entirely to one mission: restoring the Kanaani breed, creating an international center for its study, and searching for more surviving representatives in Israel to rebuild a lineage born from kindness.

This is not a loud mission. It is quiet, almost home-like — just like the story of the breed itself. But it is precisely such quiet deeds that form the essence of a mitzvah. When children see adults saving a disappearing animal line, they learn compassion more deeply than from any book.

And perhaps the most important truth is this: the story of the Kanaani breed has become a bridge between countries and hearts. In Israel lives a remarkable woman, Lyudmila Vlasova, who gifted me my first Kanaani cats and blessed the entire path of this work. In Ukraine, thanks to the professionalism and warmth of Natalia and Alexander Melnikov of FAU, and the patience and support of Anna Kolesnichenko of ARBC, this mission gained structure, documents, and a future.

Thus the Kanaani — born in Jerusalem, supported in Ukraine, and studied in the United States — quietly accomplish what even diplomats sometimes struggle to do: they connect countries, continents, and good people, reminding us that kindness is a universal language understood anywhere in the world.

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