Those who stay build communitySo what of those left behind?While Jews from the former Soviet Union continue to stream into Israel at a steady pace, there are many for whom aliyah is neither an option nor a choice. They come from a proud and rich Jewish tradition. The Ukraine was once the heart of the Jewish world, its Jewish population the second largest in the Diaspora. Jewish life was cut off under Soviet rule; now, with the break-up of the former Soviet Union, the move for Jewish renewal grows steadily. The Joint Distribution Committee, the rescue and relief arm of the global Jewish community, has been in the forefront. "There was a hunger and loneliness for Jewish life," explains JDC's Sam Amiel during a briefing in Kharkov. During the past 12 years, JDC has worked with the region to create institutions and programs to meet those needs. There is a Jewish Community Center with programming for infants to great- grandparents; a Chesed program that provides home visits, meals and medications to nearly 90 percent of Kharkov's aging shut-in population. There is a vibrant Hillel Center that reaches some 300 university students; two synagogues, three day schools, four Sunday schools, a Jewish kindergarten and two institutes of higher Jewish learning. The community is understandably proud of its accomplishments. And Amiel makes clear that it is its accomplishments. "We are helping these Jews develop the community infrastructure to flourish as proud, self-sustaining communities," he says, articulating JDC's mission. We spend a morning at the JCC, overwhelmed with the flurry of activity. Moms and tots meet in one room, the chess club in another. Upstairs there is the women's sewing class and an optical clinic for the elderly where one older woman is being fitted for eyeglasses. In a large meeting room, we are treated to a seemingly endless display of local talent, from gaily-costumed dancers, to karate demonstrations, to gymnastics displays. The presenters are delighted to perform for us - and uniformly delightful, with their engaging smiles and doting parents in the wings. Another day, we visit families who are participating in Jewish education programming. Irina Vitalyevna Belova and her son, Dima, greet us in a tidy apartment, nine flights up, proudly wearing their navy JDC T-shirts emblazoned with white menorahs. Irina expresses her appreciation for the sense of community and the Jewish learning that she has gained from the communal activities. Others in our group visit elderly shut-ins who depend on JDC workers to provide medications and weekly food boxes to supplement their meager incomes. For many, the visit by the local JDC worker may be the only human company they have. Sofia Kapush, an 80-year-old retired physician, warmly welcomed Patti Becker and Ann Zinman, her American visitors. Widowed in 1976, with no children, she lives alone in a tiny apartment.She told her visitors that she retired in 1991 because of poor eyesight, and though she is not well enough to volunteer at the Chesed center, some of her patients still call her for advice. She has no children, and told her visitors that all of her relatives have left Kharkov, except for a 73-year-old nephew who has a heart condition and cannot travel. Alone, she depends on her JDC worker to serve as her connection to the world. "I just keep thinking that there for the grace of God could be my parents," said Zinman of her visit to Kapush. Zinman's parents are Holocaust survivors who escaped from Poland to Canada after World War II. On our last afternoon, we visit a JDC summer camp for youngsters from the area. The children have been immersed in an authentic Jewish summer camp experience, complete with Israeli songs, holiday study, Shabbat observance, Hebrew classes, sports and arts and crafts. Three hours fly by, as we join our young charges for face painting, games and dancing. Despite the language difference, we are amazed at how well we can communicate when dancing the horah or singing "Mayim, Mayim." As we ready for our flight to Israel, we reflect on Amiel's charge. "We want the Jews of Kharkov to feel that 'this is home.' " |
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