How I Helped Revive Jewish Life in Ukraine

This summer I was a participant on the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Short Term Service Program to Ukraine with Hillel students from the University of Central Florida and University of Florida. I expected this opportunity to be a great time and thought it would allow me to travel with friends for a short summer excursion. What I never expected was that this 10-day trip would be the most unbelievable Jewish cultural and spiritual experience of my life.

In 1941, the outbreak of World War II in Kharkov, Ukraine caused the Jewish population in this community of 150,000 Jews to dwindle to a mere 1,000 Jews. The years after World War II were extremely difficult for Jews in Kharkov due to communist persecution and growing feelings of anti-semitism. After the end of communism and the start of Ukraine’s independence, Jews in Kharkov began the long journey of restoring and reviving its Jewish life. The JDC opened an office in Kharkov in 1997 to assist these efforts, building a Jewish Community Center, a Hesed Welfare Center and educational facilities in order to help strengthen and rebuild a self-sustaining Jewish community.

Before we left for Ukraine, students from both UCF and UF collected donations from friends, family, synagogues and local community centers. These donations consisted of clothing, adult diapers, Jewish paraphernalia, toys, books and games. We collected a total of one dozen duffel bags (over 600 pounds) full of goods to bring to Ukraine and donate to the Jewish community in need.



Our volunteer projects highlighted important ideas in Judiasm including tikun olam and tzedakah. Most of the individuals that we were helping were Jewish senior citizens. Many of them were destitute World War II survivors, widowed, and without families. They were all being helped by the JDC’s welfare centers, Hesed, which means “charitable deeds” or “acts of loving kindness” in Hebrew. Hesed offers multiple social services including hot meals, food packages and home care for those left with immobility, medical equipment, and winter relief for thousands of individuals. In addition, we also had the opportunity to work with JDC's program Children at Risk. This program offers Jewish education, psychologists, food packages, medical services, and winter relief for Jewish children who may be hungry, and lacking basic care.



Having gone on Hillel’s Alternative Spring Break in New Orleans, I expected to be doing similar work in Ukraine, such as insulating homes and installing drywall. However, most of the homes we visited were small, dilapidated, one-bedroom wooden houses and in need of help far beyond the abilities of 14 college students. We spent most of the time painting homes and fences while engaging in conversation about life during World War II and communism. While I didn’t realize it at the time, the small efforts of giving our time, showing interest in these individuals, and painting their homes and fences allowed me to give a gift greater than any I have ever given; our act of socializing and improving the exterior of these homes gave these individuals a feeling of importance and the opportunity to live out their final years with dignity.



While in Ukraine, we also had the opportunity to spend time with the students of Kharkov Hillel and the Jewish Community Center Beit Dan. Many of these students did not learn they were Jewish until they were teenagers, as their parents and grandparents were forced to hide their Judaism during World War II and communist rule. Many of their parents and grandparents are still fearful of practicing Judaism and are not accustomed to Jewish life. Therefore, the only Jewish education and culture these students receive is through Hillel and the JCC, which host Shabbat services, holiday programs, and cultural events. In addition, the concept of volunteerism and service to one’s community is new in Ukraine. Hillel and the JCC often help these students learn the importance of helping our community through opportunities to assist Hesed clients and Children at Risk.



This experience opened my eyes to the power of the Jewish community. As a community, we are connected to one another through the Jewish religion, history, and culture. Therefore, we have the responsibility to help one another in any way we can. Jewry has grown and flourished in the United States allowing us to forget that sometimes our fellow Jewish communities living across countries, across oceans, and across the world continue to need assistance and relief.

This program showed me just how much we are connected. We learned that the senior citizens were just like our own grandparents - kindhearted and full of endless hospitality. However, unlike our grandparents, most of these individuals were extremely poverty stricken. Despite their hardship, they did not cease to offer all they had, even if it was just two small tomatoes or a piece of candy. In addition, we learned that the children were like our own siblings or cousins, ready to have fun and full of laughter and cheer. However, unlike our own siblings and cousins, they have had to overcome below zero winters without jackets and blankets, long days without anything to eat, and years without medical care. Regardless of what they had been through, they were still loving and gentle, holding out a hand for us to hold.

Finally, our connection was strengthened and highlighted at Shabbat services as we overcame the language barrier as English and Russian were forgotten and Hebrew linked us as members of the Jewish community. We may not have the same national culture, language, or lives but we do have the same prayers of gratitude, peace, and most of all, hope.

Coming Home - Reflection

A few weeks ago, I participated in an incredible Tikkun Olam (translated from Hebrew as ‘repair of the world’) experience, which changed the way I view myself as a Jew. With funding from Florida Hillel’s and The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), an organization that has served as the overseas arm of the American Jewish community since 1914 with a mission to serve the needs of Jews throughout the world, I, along with 14 other UF and UCF students, journeyed halfway across the world to Ukraine, an unlikely place for a group of young American Jews.

“Why on earth would you go to Ukraine?” was often the question asked while I was raising funds for this trip. Ukraine, which received its independence from the USSR and communism in 1991, is a country filled with Jews in desperate need of our help if the Jewish communities are
to survive. The Jews of Ukraine represent the third-largest Jewish community in Europe and the fifth largest in the world; the city of Kharkov alone has an estimated 50,000 Jews. Once a major center of Jewish life, most Jews in Ukraine lost almost all of their ties to their heritage during the Soviet era. Since 1988, JDC, with help from its funding partners, has been enabling the Kharkov Jewish community to implement social welfare programs for elderly Holocaust survivors and to expand a range of communal services that bring the joys of Jewish life to all generations. There were two ages of Jews we focused on- the elderly, who have had extremely difficult lives through the holocaust and communism, having to keep their Judaism a secret for many years, and then the youth, who are just discovering Judaism and what its all about.

The elderly in Ukraine are mostly alone, poor, and in need of medical care which they cannot afford. The JDC has created many programs such as centers called Hesseds, meal plans, medical assistance, and most importantly, they have provided a community outlet which helps the elderly Jews reconnect to their Judaism and culture. They have so many stories, experience, lessons-and now, with help from the JDC and volunteers like my group, they have a place to hare those stories and histories. On our trip, we went to the homes of many of the Hessed clients and visited with them, did housework like gardening or painting fences, and asked them questions about their lives. Some of the answers were very saddening, while others left us wide-eyed with fascination. We visited one man who at first was very upset because we could not speak to him in Yiddish. Eventually, after we began painting his fence and pulling his weeds, he warmed up and started telling us a bit about his life. But he never smiled. When I asked him why, he said, “My wife is gone and my son died in Israel. What do I have to smile for?” I was left speechless. But then, after I grabbed his hand and took him to see his newly painted wall, a beautiful thing happened- he smiled. Before I left he kissed my cheek. Our being there really meant something to these people, even if we were just painting their fences.

The JDC has also made a great effort to give the younger generations a chance to embrace their Judaism. One of my favorite memories took place when we shared Shabbat with our Ukrainian Peers. Try to imagine a Friday night Shabbat service in your temple. Think about the children and the teenagers-what do their faces look like? From my experience, boredom is often the expression on most young reform American Jewry while in Shul. That is what was so inspiring about the Ukrainian youth; They sang at the top of their lungs, shouted the prayers like I’d never heard, and, strangely enough, most of the 18-year-olds we met had just found out they were Jewish three years prior. Yet, they embraced Judaism with such passion, learning the prayers, taking Hebrew and Yiddish lasses, going to their Hillel’s. It was a passion which both saddened me for American Jews and reminded me what prayer should be about. These young people are the hope for a Jewish future in Ukraine and the way they looked at us Americans, with such a desire to understand how we do things, was so beautiful and refreshing.

One of the main things this trip brought to light for me was that all Jews truly are responsible to each other and unmistakably connected to each other. I enrolled in Hebrew class at UF in the fall because, for the first time, I’ve seen firsthand that Hebrew is our universal language. But more than that, I’ve seen that one person, even myself, can make a difference in the lives of many and play a significant role in my Jewish community- and so can you. The JDC’s ultimate goal is to provide the Jews they assist with the tools, skills, and resources to become self-sufficient. We believe our Ukrainian Peers are the hope for change. The students of the Florida Hillel’s are currently raising money to help in the education of our Ukrainian peers so they will be able to one day take over for the JDC and sustain their Jewish Communities on their own.

--DANI ROSENKRANTZ

Shabbat in Kharkov!

Hi everyone!
Nothing beats Shabbas in a foreign country, that's for sure. Something about the difference in culture but how constant all of our traditions are is just incredible to me. That we can speak entirely different languages, lead completely different lives on the opposite side of the world yet when the sun sets we all have at least one thing in common- we are Jews!
Last night, we brought in Shabbat at the JСС in Kharkov. The building itself is beautiful (it was designed to look like Jerusalem!), but what I remember most about the evening was saying prayers in Hebrew to the same tune. I felt this amazing connection to our peers simply through the fact that 6000 miles away, we still celebrate Shabbas (and other holidays, I presume) the same way. L'cha Dodi, we all sang, turned to the door, and welcomed the Shabbas Bride the way I've remembered doing it as far back as I can remember.
This morning, we took a walking tour of the city to Freedom Square, several monuments, a park and one of the last remaining synagogues from the previous regime. The walk was far and it was pretty hot outside, but I think everyone really enjoyed the trip! Lots to see here, so much history. I mean, how many people do you know that can say they've seen Kharkov, Ukraine? Not many! We definitely took advantage of the opportunity and took tons of touristy pictures.
Today we're going to start planning tomorrow's activity with local Ukrainian children, spend some time at our Hillel peers' homes and then go back to Freedom Square for a concert, followed by an end-of-shabbat party here at Hillel!
Looking forward to an even more incredible week,
Kari

Hello from Ukraine

Hey All!
Everyone met Monday night, and we left on Tuesday for Ukraine. On Wednesday we finally arrived in Kiev at noon and the group was picked up by a bus and a JDC Jewsih Service Corps Fellow in Kiev. We toured the city with her, and visited several Jewish sites. Our first stop was at Babi Yar, and that was very powerful and emotional experience. We had a small memorial at the site of the ravine and a Kiev Hillel peer told us the history of Babi Yar and a neighboring old Jewish cemetery. Next we visited the JDC Hessed (institution to help elderly Jews in need) and had lunch in the dinning hall, making that our first official Ukrainian meal. I must say we were all pleasantly surprised with the pasta and fish served, but we aren't used to the beet juice (give us a couple more days). We were able to tour the building and meet the directors of the day care, and medical center. At night we got a chance to do a walking tour of downtown Kiev, and everyone was thankful to finally get their legs moving again. For dinner we stopped at one of Kiev's Synagogue's. We then continued our tour (since the sun doesn't set until after 9 p.m) to the site of the 2004 Orange Revolution. There are many statues and fountains all representing Ukraine's independence. The square was filled with old Russian architecture and beautiful buildings, and of course a McDonald's. Go figure. That night we started our journey to Kharkov on an overnight train. We were all so exhausted at that point from non-stop traveling we all had no trouble sleeping.
Today (Thursday) was our first day in Kharkov. We were enthusiastically greeted by the Hillel students at the train station at 6 a.m. Our first stop was to the hotel where we all finally got a chance to shower. By this time, we really needed it. After the freshening up and breakfast we went to the Hillel and met the Ukrainian students that will be working with us for most of our time here. All of the students split up into four groups and in the morning we went to elderly Jewish homes. My group went to one home with with seven Hessed clients and they made us tea and cookies. They were so happy to have some visitors and company. Each group had a translator so the language barrier wasn't a problem. In the afternoon (in the same groups) we helped with apartment repairs in some elderly Jews' homes. The name of the woman my group visited is Sofia and she is 86 years old. She has people who come weekly to help cook, and clean for her, but other than that she rarely has any visitors. She lives alone, and unfortunately has no family left. She told us her life story which was inspirational to say the least. We then began painting her doors and windows. She has lived in the same apartment for the past 55 years.
Sofia was so thankful not only for our work but most of all our company, and during the paint jobs we all took turns sitting down and talking with her. When it was time to go she thanked us thousands of times and no one really wanted to go yet. Now we are back at the Hillel and just hanging out until dinner starts. I speak for everyone when I say that we are all having a wonderful experience already, and please don't worry about us! Bye for now.
Jasmine