Project Kharkov Delves into Ukraine's Rich Jewish Heritage and Complex Post-Communist Identity
A group of 18 students traveled to Kharkov, Ukraine over their winter break to explore a community with a rich history that is struggling to revitalize its Jewish identity, post-communism. Over the course of the two-week program students interacted with the community through hands-on volunteer work and joint Shabbat experiences and learned about the community through in-depth context education and Jewish studies.
Project Kharkov was organized by 糖心破解版鈥檚 (CJF) in partnership with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), with support from the Eckstein Family and Repair the World.
Before embarking on their journey, the group spent a meaningful Shabbat in New York with participants from Russian American Jewish Experience (RAJE)鈥攁n organization committed to sparking Jewish life in Russian American society. In Ukraine, the students traveled outside of the city to shtetls, where small Jewish communities still exist and experienced the community鈥檚 challenges firsthand by volunteering for various projects. In addition to their volunteer work, JDC professionals taught the students about Ukraine鈥檚 Jewish community, history and current socio-economic climate.
鈥淲e entered into a country of people we didn't know and we left with a stronger sense of Judaism and a new group of friends,鈥 said David Eckstein, a student and group advisor. 鈥淭his trip really opened our eyes and made us realize how fortunate we are to live in a society that allows us to freely practice our religion.鈥
The students were accompanied by Aliza Abrams, program director for the CJF鈥檚 Department of Service Learning and Experiential Education, and Rabbi Nehemia Taylor, who provided the Torah learning component of their studies, focusing on Jewish values and high-level shiurim [lectures] about Jewish responsibility, community, prioritizing need and giving.
鈥淭he goal of this mission was to impart to our students the importance of remembering that there are Jews and people all over the world in need of help,鈥 said Abrams. 鈥淲e wanted to engage the students in hands-on service that was meaningful, both to those volunteering and those benefitting from the work.鈥
Abrams believes that the students came back as 鈥渦ndeniably changed鈥 people.
鈥淎fter meeting with the different generations of Ukrainian Jews, it became quite clear to us that communism took away Judaism in a very tragic way. Now this younger and free generation wants to reestablish their faith as well as strengthen their community and our students want to be involved in that process.鈥
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