A Trip to a Boarding School in Lodizhinka, Uman Region

American Coffee

American Coffee is going well :) I have been struggling with incorporating Jewish content in my lessons but somehow everything works out.

Today, in the beginning of our lesson the group talked about learning English and their motivations.  I was happy to learn that my Jewish content is what brings some people there! Anna joined the group because of her sister Irene, who started attending first. Their motivation to come to class is not just English but also to learn more about Jewish culture, history, music, etc. After the class they  ask more questions and send me messages via vkontakte.ru, Russian Facebook. This makes me very, very, very HAPPY! I know that their interests are sincere, and moments like this reinforce my decision to come here.

On the video Irene is speaking at first and then Tanya. 

A Trip to the West

At the end of October I traveled to Western Ukraine (Rivne, Ostroh, and Luts'k) with Beiteinu. We were a group of 18 with children, teens and a few adults. The goal of the trip was to do some sightseeing, learn about the Jewish communities, and exchange our skills and experiences.

The group and I stayed in Rovno and as we walked through the streets of the city it reminded me a lot of my hometown Gorlovka, Ukraine. Rovno is smaller than Kiev, with an estimated population of 249,000, the streets are mostly empty, and there and a lot of neighborhoods with two story houses just like in Gorlovka. As we walked past the houses every day towards our cafe and Hesed I began to remember things about my past, my childhood, and ponder about the future I could have had here. As I continue my journey in Kiev, I continue to ask this question again, and again, and wonder about the person I would have become
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Going back to our trip - we saw places such as Ostrog and Lutsk that were once full of Jewish life, where  60% + of the population were Jewish. Jews came there as far back as 15th century, they lived there and prospered, and in 18th century Ostorg became one of the centers of Hassidism. Today, you can find abandoned structures from Synagogues, and parks that were once Jewish Cemeteries. The large Jewish populations that were once there are gone, and the number of Jews left is very small.

On a happier note, we met a lot of interesting people (check out Max's website here,) saw how other Jewish centers function, and brought a project from Kiev (that was a hit with the kids & teens in Kiev because they themselves came up with the idea) to the children of Rovno. The project consisted of decorating bags with different designs and decorations. A few pictures from the trip are attached
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Beiteinu-Training Seminar

2 days after my arrival in Ukraine I packed my bags again and left to Krim/Crimea. We went to Tarhankut, a western part of the peninsular. This area is very different from the rest, here are a few pictures, enjoy :)

Rosh Hashanah @ Beiteinu

Beiteinu celebrated Rosh Hashana with their clients on September 27, 2009.  A lot of families came to celebrate, learn more about the holiday, and participate in workshops. To make the celebration more fun there was a cake contest - clients baked cakes with attributes of the holiday. All the entries were extremely yummy and I had a lot of fun judging them! Towards the end of the celebration the center gave out sweets for the holiday. In a matter of minutes most of the tables were wiped clean, without an apple in sight. A lot of the families, clients of the center, were affected by the economic crisis; they packed the sweets in their plastic bags and took them home. Although it may seem odd to some but this is the reality here. A lot of the prices on food in Ukraine are the same as in the US but their salaries are significantly lower.

Babiy Yar Memorial

Today I planned to attend the Babiy Yar memorial in Kiev. This year marks 68 years since the horrific events in 1941. German troops occupied Kiev on September 19, 1941 and on September 29th they started to shoot civilians in Babiy Yar. A total of 33, 771 people were killed in TWO days.

Hillel or as they say here, Гилель :)

I don't think I need to give an explanation of this, but just in case the link is attached :)

My task in this center is English as well. I will be leading a program called American Coffee, to help with conversational English. This program was started by previous JSC volunteers.

Beiteinu-Our Home

Beiteinu is another place I will be working in. It reminds me of a JCC because it takes care of the whole family. Many families come for financial help (even something little as a pair of shoes), activities for children, learn about Jewish holidays, and receive assistance for families with mental health illnesses.

I will probably be leading English classes for kids, and the staff also expressed an interest. I have yet to meet the teens of the center, looking forward to that so I can plan some activities :)

Hesed

Hesed is one of the centers I will be working in. The center focuses on helping the elderly Jewish community in Kiev and the surrounding area. These centers exist in other parts of Urkaine as well. So far I have not done much work but have been learning about the center and its programs. Below is a list of some of the programs (I will add more with time):
1. Medical program - provides medical rehabilitation equipment, help for the visually and hearing impaired, distribute medicine, and on site medical help.