18 | MAY 5 • 2022

ON THE COVER

“I WAS NOT THERE JUST
TO HELP. WE WERE ALSO

THERE TO WITNESS.”

— JFS’ YULIA GAYDAYENKO

continued from page 17

I am grateful and hon-
ored to have met the Jewish
Agency for Israel staff, many
of whom are refugees from
Kyiv themselves, working
nonstop at all hours of
the day and night on the
border and then to settle
newly arriving refugees
from the border into the
hotel, working with the
Israeli Consulate, making
arrangements for transport-
ing thousands of people in a
month-and-a-half, including
medical transport for people
unable to sit on the airplane
as well as transport for ani-
mals. And doing so much
more, working with donors
and volunteers to ensure all
needed supplies, volunteer
medical professionals, etc.
I am grateful and honored
to have met volunteers from
Poland, Israel, Canada and
the U.S., supporting the JAFI
staff in anything that needed
to be done. I am grateful and
honored to have met amaz-
ing people, experiencing loss
and unimaginable pain and,
at the same time, gathering
to learn Hebrew with their
kids, preparing for their new
life in Israel, doing a Zumba
class with their kids, and
teaching their dogs to walk
with a muzzle and their cats
to stay in the crate for their
travel.
I am grateful and hon-
ored to have met donors
who showed up with money
collected from friends and

colleagues, ready to purchase
any needed supplies. I am
grateful and honored to have
been trusted with donations
from my own friends and col-
leagues, which allowed me to
purchase whatever was need-
ed for the day: deodorants,
T-shirts, shoes, flip-flops,
hairbrushes, pants, dog and
cat food (and more deodor-
ants, T-shirts and pants).
And I am very grateful and
honored to have represent-
ed the Jewish Federations
of North America and to
have been supported by an
amazing agency where I have
worked for the past 13 years,
Jewish Family Service of
Metropolitan Detroit. Thank
you, everyone, for your sup-
port!
If there was one thing I
could ask for as you read
this, it would be to stop for a
minute and send your light,
your prayers and your good
thoughts to help heal the
torn land and the torn apart
families.
If we all join forces in
doing that at least once every
day, we can help create a
communal healing that is so
much needed.

Yuliya Gaydayenko, LMSW, MA, is

Chief Program Officer, Older Adult

Services, at Jewish Family Service,

and the 2015 Mandell L. & Madeleine

H. Berman Award for Outstanding

Professional Jewish Communal

Service winner. She was resettled as

a refugee from Moscow, Russia, in

Flint with her family in 1995.

JEWISH NEWS

THE DETROIT

The Detroit Jewish News
Educator of the Year

Teachers are often the unsung
heroes who inspire our children to
greater heights and whose lessons
often last a lifetime.
The Jewish News wants to honor
the best-of-the-best teachers in
our community — in elementary,
middle and high school.

To nominate a Jewish teacher or a teacher at
one of Metro Detroit’s Jewish day schools,
send an email to
jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com
with “Best Teachers” in the subject line.
Include the teacher’s name, school, grade/
subject and why you think they deserve to be
recognized.
Then look for our “Educators of the Year” in
the May 19, Cap & Gown issue.

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