Restoration workValley woman in program to revive Jewish life in UkraineLOU HIRSH
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 Robyn Amster |
She'll be spending about nine months in Ukraine, where she's been told temperatures during the winter have been known to reach 20 degrees below zero.
"I'm told that I'll be arriving just in time to see some snow," she says, noting that her cold-weather clothing is packed and ready to go.
The 22-year-old Amster is not going on vacation. She's part of a group of nine Americans and nine Israelis who are going to Ukraine to teach children and adults about Jewish holidays, customs and traditions. On Sunday, Aug. 16, she'll leave for Israel, for what will be six weeks of training and orientation, before being assigned to one of three Ukrainian cities involved in the program, Odessa, L'viv and Donetsk.
Thousands of Jewish citizens of the former Soviet republic
"We're trying to re-establish a Jewish life in these communities," says Amster. "For a lot of years, because of communism and repression, the people were not allowed to express their religious beliefs."
Amster, who learned about the program from a friend who had recently returned from a trip to Israel, will be working mainly with Ukrainian children age 9 and younger, primarily in after-school programs with the students. Arrangements are being made for program participants to stay in apartments in their assigned communities, where they'll be teaching residents about holiday customs, traditional music, art and other elements of Jewish culture.
Having taken Russian language classes in high school, and having visited Moscow on a vacation, Amster says she doesn't expect to have trouble communicating with residents of Ukraine. Before she leaves Jerusalem, however, she will have to learn some basic Hebrew, in order to convey many Jewish concepts effectively to students.
Amster says she knows the cold climate isn't the only thing to which she'll have to adjust in Ukraine. There will be nine long months without the amenities of home, but the prospects don't bother her.
"I know it's a completely different world (in Ukraine), but I think I am prepared for it," she says.
A recent graduate of the University of Arizona, with a degree in political science, Amster says she would someday like to turn her globetrotting experiences into full-time work devoted to foreign service, possibly as an ambassador or international envoy.
"I'd eventually like to do work relating somehow to foreign policy," she says.
Those wishing to learn more about Jewish community education programs in the former Soviet Union can call Jessica Aziman at (404) 870-1610.
