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BEST DIRECTOR

A FERIM!

–Variety

Yuliya
Gaydayenko at
work at Jewish
Family Service
of Metropolitan
Detroit

Vivian Henoch

" ...exceptional, deeply
intelligent and witty "

From Russia With Love

Yuliya Gaydayenko’s journey to America, Judaism and service at JFS.

Vivian Henoch | Special to the Jewish News

I

In Eastern Europe in 1835, a gendarme
and his son embark on a search for
a runaway Gypsy slave, suspected of
having an affair with the wife of his
nobleman master. Encountering Turks,
Russians, Hungarians, Christians and
Jews, the riders discover their world
view changing in unexpected ways
that feel strikingly contemporary.

MARCH 25–27

D ETROIT F ILM T HEATRE

dia.org/dft · 313.833.4005

2081730

20 March 24 • 2016

magine coming to America from
Moscow 20 years ago. Arriving with
your family, with little more than the
clothing on your back, a 2-year-old son in
your arms and a second child on the way,
due to be born any day.
This is Yuliya Gaydayenko’s story. A
recipient late last year of the 2015 Mandell
L. & Madeleine H. Berman Award for
extraordinary professional service to the
Jewish community, she currently is senior
director of older adult services at Jewish
Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit.
“In 1995, anti-Semitic outbursts were on
the rise in the streets of Moscow,” she says.
“I was a young mom, concerned about my
growing family and, after many months of
discussion, finally convinced my mother,
my sister and husband to leave Russia. We
had to bribe the Soviet officials to get our
passports and, by the time we finally got
them, I was eight months pregnant with
my second child.”
The family was considered a “free case”
because they were unable to pay the $500
per person to be able to live with her uncle
in New York. They landed in Flint, one of
the few communities that took free cases
at the time.
“Of course, we didn’t know the first
thing about Flint or that much at all about
Judaism, for that matter,” Gaydayenko, 45,
says. “As a third-generation Muscovite, I
had no religion in my life to speak of and,
suddenly, there we were, totally dependent
on the kindness of people at the Jewish
Federation and the Jewish Community
Services — the only two Jewish agencies
in town.
“They put us in a furnished apartment,
stocked with groceries for a few days;
everything was different, there was so
much to learn. In Flint, there were three
synagogues serving a shrinking Jewish
population of about 2,000. But it was
amazing; suddenly, we had all these won-

derful friends and families willing to help
us out.
“I’ll never forget the invitation to our
first Shabbat dinner with the family
assigned to be our anchor in the com-
munity. I had to call and cancel — and tell
them that I was in the hospital having a
baby!”
Now, Gaydayenko has three children:
Ivan, 23, and Elizabeth, 20, are both in col-
lege; Alex, 15, is a sophomore at Rochester
High School.
“When I’m asked what’s moved me to
become an active part of the Jewish com-
munity, I always think back to our first
experience in Flint,” she says. “It’s played
a huge part. In Russian culture, volun-
teerism doesn’t really exist. I was truly
moved by people opening their homes and
hearts to us, devoting their time to help-
ing us.”

CULTURE SHOCK
Within a decade of resettling her young
family, Gaydayenko earned her bachelor’s
degree and then a master’s degree in social
work, all while working for the Jewish
agencies that initially welcomed her to
Flint. Ultimately, she became executive
director of Jewish Community Services,
a position she held for five years before
moving to JFS in Detroit in 2008.
“I love working in the community that’s
helped us,” she says. “I love helping the
Russian Jewish community, making a dif-
ference in lives. I love that working as a
community we provide so many services
to ensure that people have what they need.
That’s my passion.
“For me, it’s all a part of giving back. I’m
here to stay. Metro Detroit is home.”
She says one of her proudest career
moments was the first time she got a $1.5
million grant at JFS to support the trans-
portation program, which was threatened
by a budget cut.

“With that first grant, we were able not
only to save the program, but also to grow
it. From nine drivers to the 12 drivers (and
15 vehicles) we have now,” she says. “I
believe specialized transportation for the
frail and elderly is and will continue to be
a huge need in our community. Our pro-
gram is exceptional because we provide
door-through-door service across county
lines, more than 30,000 rides a year. Most
agencies in the area aren’t able to accom-
modate that range of service.
“I’m also proud of the geriatric program
here at JFS,” Gaydayenko says. “When I
started, there were seven geriatric care
managers. Today we have 13. The com-
munity is aging and we need more sup-
port services in place and professionals
who can assess those needs and really
understand resources out there for people
to use.”
Now she’s excited about a new partner-
ship with JVS — Mind Aerobics classes as
part of a larger cognitive wellness initia-
tive: Mind University.
“The concept is modeled on an innova-
tive science-based program developed
by the New England Cognitive Center to
help older adults maintain brain health or
even sharpen cognitive function,” she says.
“We’ve invested about three years of our
own research in designing the program,
investigating best practices in geriatric
cognitive training and brain health. With a
grant from the Jewish Fund, we currently
are the only certified trainers in the coun-
try.”
Proud to have received the Berman
Award, she says shares it with many at JFS,
especially mentors Norm Keane (former
JFS executive director), who hired her, and
JFS Executive Director Perry Ohren.

*

Vivian Henoch is editor of myjewishdetroit.org,
where this story first appeared.

