Who Went

Left to right from opposite page: Crafts are a component of the Hesed
Avot Senior Day Program in Kiev. • Steven Weinstock, of West
Bloomfield shares in the Chanukah fun. • Boris Kutik, executive
director of the Union of Progressive Jewish Communities of Ukraine,
Eileen Freed of Ann Arbor and Rabbi Alexander Dukhovny, chief
rabbi of the Union of Progressive Jewish Communities of Ukraine,
enjoy Shabbat services at Congregation HaTikvah. • Children at the
Progressive Kindergarten celebrate Chanukah in style. • Girls bless the
Shabbat candles at Congregation HaTikvah. • Nehama Donskaya of
Vasilkov, Ukraine.

The 11 Michiganders on the trip were Michael lienchetrit,
Farmington Hills, Mat Shalom Synagogue; Sari Cicurel, West
Bloomfield, Congregation Shaarey Zedek; Davida Dennen,
Grand Rapids, Temple Emanuel; Eileen Freed, Ann Arbor,
Beth Israel Congregation; Gene Goodman, Royal Oak,
Shaarey Zedek; Shelly Katz, West Bloomfield, unaffiliated;
Josh Opperer, Huntington Woods, Young Israel of Oak Park;
Jeff Schlussel, Huntington Woods, Young Israel of Oak Park;
Steven Weinstock, Partnership 2000 Triangular Leadership
chairman, West Bloomfield, Temple Israel; Steve Schanes,
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's Partnership 2000
co-chair, West Bloomfield, Shaarey Zedek; Tanya Mawr-
Posner, JFMD's Partnership 2000 director (she's a Young
Israel of Southfield member). See group photo on page 10.

Chanukah trip allows young leaders from Michigan and Israel's Central Galilee
to bask in the glow of Ukrainian Jewish renewal.

STEVEN D. WEINSTOCK
Special to the Jewish News

Kiev, Ukraine

DAT 1: DEC. 21, 2000

I

couldn't speak Russian, Shura couldn't speak
English. But as we sat together in a community
center in Vasilkov celebrating Chanukah, I under-
stood what she was saying to her grandchildren.
"Listen to the Hebrew singing of Ma'ot Tzur. Look at
the people from our village, people from Kiev,
Michigan and Israel, enjoy being a Jew" I knew from
her voice, her gestures, her smile the grandmother's les-
sons she was imparting.
This was the culmination of the first day of our
three-day trip, a gathering of young Jewish leaders (ages
30-40) from Michigan, Israel's Central Galilee and
Kiev. From the secular to the Orthodox, from the prac-
ticing to the non-observant, we were Jews doing Jewish
things together in a country where, until a decade ago,
such events were never mentioned.
The trip was organized as part of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's Parmership 2000
Triangular Lay Leadership Development Program.
Eleven Michiganders, plus six participants from Israel's
Central Galilee and 13 from - the Ukraine, including two
Hillel students from the former Soviet Union, celebrated
the miracle of Chanukah in Kiev, a city of 90,000 Jews.
The trip started on a more chilling note, however,
with a Holocaust memorial service at Babi Yar, a ravine

Steven Weinstock of West Bloomfield serves as
Partnership 2000 Triangular Leadership chairman
and is a member of Temple Israel.

outside Kiev, led by Josh Opperer of Huntington
Woods and Gili Schwarzman of Kibbutz Ginnegar. We
felt the impact of the largest mass children's grave in the
world, where almost 35,000 Jews were killed in less
than two days. Over time, 100,000 Jews would become
a part of the death ravine. We listened as Davida
Dennen of Grand Rapids read a story about a mother
and child who survived the slaughter by lying motion-
less in the ravine, pretending to be dead.
Next, we traveled to Hesed Avot (Kindness to Our
Fathers/Parents), a service organization supported by
the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
UDC). Hesed provides welfare and social needs for.
Jewish residents in Kiev and environs. The evening
before, Ukrainian group member Leonid Feinberg told
us, "In the last 10 years, a real miracle occurred. Before
then, there were no Jewish schools, activities, nothing. I
think you will now find that our services and support
are closer to yours."
This was clearly an understatement. At Hesed, we
found doctors, hair stylists, seamstresses, electronic and
home repair services, a senior day center, social workers,
exercise rooms, basic food-sustenance services and
more. Begun less than eight years ago, Hesed Avot
now reaches more than 16,000 people, providing essen-
tial services to those in need as well as a connection to
one another and to the joy of being Jewish. Not a
Chanukah miracle, but a miracle of Jewish renaissance.

Shaarey Zedek, Congregation B'nai Moshe and mem-
bers of the Detroit Federation Young Adult Division.
"All of Israel is responsible for one another," Sam
Amiel of the JDC reminded us. We then participat-
ed in the "Chanukah Project." Small groups — a
person from Michigan, Israel, Kiev and a Hillel stu-
dent — celebrated the holiday with a homebound
senior client in their home.
Nehama was born in 1914 in Vasilkov and evacu-
ated to Kazakhstan during World War II while her
husband participated in the war. Upon their return,
he worked as the city council chairman. Her hus-
band died in 1978; she now lives on a government
pension. With great force and determination,
Nehama lit the candles as we joined in prayer and
song. We told her of our relationships with our
grandparents as she told us of visits by her children
from Kiev. Half a world away, I felt my grandmoth-
er's warmth in Nehama's face.
I agree with Michal Uhlman of Migdal HaEmek
in the Central Galilee, who said, "I don't know who
gets more out of the visits, the host or the visitor."
As we traveled back to our hotel that evening from
dinner, we shared our stories. Each member of our
group was touched by the manner in which these
Jews survived and continue to thrive with the assis-
tance of Hesed Avot. We understood, too, the small
but significant impact we made.

Responsible For One Another

DAY 2: DEC. 22, 2000

In an auditorium with more than 25 Hesed Avot
department leaders, Sari Cicurel of West Bloomfield
presented the gifts we brought: infant and toddler items,
basic medical supplies as well as hats, mittens and gloves
collected by children at Temple Israel, Congregation

esterday was our connection to the past. Today
is a glimpse into the future.
Many of us wondered about the future of
Jewish Kiev as again we split up for different visits. Our

y

KIEV on page 10

