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Rabbi Avraham Jacobovitz with Jewish children of Minsk.
tact with. He travels to Min-
sk once a month and stays in
touch with us."
The JCC has sent three,
two-week missions to Minsk
in the last three years. Two
were led by Dr. Zvi Y.
Gitelman of the University
of Michigan. The recent mis-
sion was led by Rabbi
Avraham Jacobovitz, direc-
tor of Machon L'Torah, Jew-
ish Learning Network of
Michigan. The missions held
classes, talked to the com-
munity and brought Jewish
books, kosher foods, tallit,
tefillin and kipot.
Mr. Saffer, born in
England, describes himself
Stuart Saffer:
Work has to be done.
as a Sovietologist. He has a
bachelor's and master's
degree in Soviet studies from
the University of Leeds,
England, and has worked for
the JDC in their Jerusalem
office since making aliyah in
1984.
When Mr. Saffer, his wife
Miriam and two children
arrived in Odessa, a city of
1.2 million, they found six or
seven Jewish organizations,
"with each one going its own
way.
"There was no coordina-
tion, no cooperation," Mr.
Saffer said. "They were like
separate, warring factions.
Now, almost 10 months
later, we have a United Jew-
ish Odessa Federation."
Mr. Saffer, who lives in a
house on the outskirts of
Odessa, a port city, works
daily with members of the
city's synagogue, Jewish
cultural organization, Jew-
ish war veterans, Jewish
historical association and a
Jewish song and dance
troupe called Migdal Or,
Hebrew for Light House.
There are three other for-
eigners in Odessa: a member
of the Jewish Agency, a
representative of the Israeli
Department of Jewish Cul-
ture in the Diaspora and a
Lubavitch rabbi. The Jewish
groups in Odessa recently
put together a public, out-
door Chanukah concert. Mr.
Saffer expected a couple
hundred people but close to
1,000 came.
"Little by little, I see how
we're all making a differ-
ence," he said.
Mr. Saffer said his family
now speaks fluent Russian.
"My wife and children have
no one to speak to in Eng-
lish."
He said life in Odessa is
extremely difficult and ad-
mits it's sometimes lonely.
"Food is outrageously ex-
pensive and very hard to
find," he said. "There's no
theater, no diversions.
Sometimes my wife sits by
the beach and looks out to
the Black Sea and re-
members how our life was
before moving to Odessa."
Despite the physical and
economic hardships, Mr.
Saffer said he has no regrets.
"This is work that needs to
be done. Even under the best
circumstances, it takes a
couple of years before Jews
can emigrate. We're here to
ensure they experience the
full Jewish life they de-
serve." ❑
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15