The political scene in Ukraine is just as disturbing as the economic situation,
continued Mr. Sidelkovsky. Politicians are fighting constantly in the Rada
(parliament), mainly over pensions and other benefits awarded to themselves.
Ordinary people, especially poor people, live under enormous stress, which
leaves them vulnerable to disease. Many people have lost hope. Mr.
Sidelkovsky said that he does not understand how individuals manage
independently, without help from someone else or from a welfare organization.
Yan Sidelkovsky (right) plays a prominent role in the
Boston-Dnipropetrovsk Jewish sister-city relationship. He is the local
representative of the JCRC-Combined Jewish Philanthropies effort in
Dnipropetrovsk and he works with his wife Tanya in the Adopt-a-Bubbe pro-gram.
(Tanya Sidelkovsky was visiting several of the AAB communities at the time of
the writer’s interview.)
Photo:
Chabad of Dnipropetrovsk.
Other than the distribution of food and medicines, perhaps
the most popular Adopt-a-Bubbe program is the warm home day centers,
which are held in the apartments of participants. Adopt-a-Bubbe currently
operates two warm homes in Dnipropetrovsk (one on each side of the Dnipr River)
and ten others in its service region. Twelve to 15 seniors attend each warm
home every month, with some people rotating in or out each session so that more
indi-viduals are able to participate. The hostess prepares some dishes, but
guests bring others so that the hostess is not overwhelmed and more people feel
valued. In addition to consuming a hot, nutritious meal, participants cele-brate
birthdays and holidays, sing, dance, watch videos, and take part in other
activities. The opportunities for socializing and for intellectual exercise are
just as important as the hot meal, said Mr. Sidelkovsky.
Mr. Sidelkovsky acknowledged that the Joint Distribution
Committee had initiated the warm home program and then abandoned it as a
consequence of budgetary pressures. He believes that Joint is embarrassed by
Adopt-a-Bubbe success with its expanded version of the original JDC concept and
noted that Joint in Dnipropetrovsk has tried to resume its own warm homes on a
limited basis. However, said Mr. Sidelkovsky, Joint brings cooked food, rather
than permitting participants to derive satisfaction from preparing their own
meals. Further, Mr. Sidelkovsky said, JDC has been unable to replicate the
joyous atmosphere typical of Adopt-a-Bubbe warm homes.
Synagogue-Related Programs
19. Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki is the Chief Rabbi of Dnipropetrovsk and is regarded
by most observers as the most effective community rabbi in all of the
post-Soviet successor states. He has built an unparalleled community
infrastructure, deftly raising and managing funds from wealthy local Jews,
international Jewish organizations, and the Boston Jewish community with which
Dnipropetrovsk Jewry enjoys a twinning or sister-city relationship.
Rabbi
Shmuel Kaminezki, left, is widely regarded as the most successful community
rabbi in the post-Soviet states. He has been in Dnipropetrovsk, a city of
great historic importance to Chabad, for 20 years.
Photo: the writer.
In
response to a question about the local economy, Rabbi Kaminezki said inflation
remains a major problem. The local Chabad infrastructure, he said, must
raise 20 percent more than the previous year simply to maintain services. Real
estate and property development have been hit hard, he continued, but most
other businesses are managing. He has heard of very few business bankruptcies,
he said. However, he observed, many people are working in the “black economy”
so that they or their employers are able to avoid paying taxes; the tax
schedule is unreasonably high, impeding business development.
Rabbi
Kaminezki noted that state pensions are being paid on schedule and that the
currency exchange rate remains stable, two factors that boost confidence in the
economy. Regional (oblast) governance is very important; the governor of
Dnipropetrovsk oblast is exceptionally competent, stated Rabbi Kaminezki. Only
36 years old, the governor has taken various measures to encourage business
development and diversification of the local economy; he is close to President
Viktor Yanukovych and to other people in power (in Kyiv). The governor, Alexander Vilkul,
also is very concerned about improving traffic conditions, Rabbi Kaminezki
added, and is mindful of ecological concerns.
Rabbi
Kaminezki confirmed reports that the writer had heard earlier concerning the
forthcoming development of a Dnipropetrovsk-based residential yeshiva katana
(junior yeshiva) for sons of Chabad emissaries throughout Ukraine. The
yeshiva would accommodate boys from the age of about 10, many of whom would
commute to their homes on weekends. No site has been selected yet, Rabbi
Kaminezki said, but it is likely that such an institution will open within the
next several years. Neither of the two current options – an existing Chabad
yeshiva katana in Moscow or any of several such yeshivot in Israel – is satisfactory,
due to distance and other factors.
Rabbi
Kaminezki spoke with great satisfaction of the development of a new fund established
to assist Chabad rabbis in smaller Jewish population centers. Supported by Rafael
Rutman, a British businessman in Kyiv, and other donors to Chabad, the fund
is directed toward the maintenance of day schools and other community
institutions in smaller cities in which local donors are difficult to find.
Chabad centers in the largest Ukrainian Jewish population centers – Kyiv,
Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Donetsk – are ineligible for support from
this fund. The fund is managed from Dnipropetrovsk, the largest Chabad
community in Ukraine and the seat of the Chabad Federation of Jewish
Communities in Ukraine.
Throughout
the writer’s visit in Dnipropetrovsk, the local Chabad community was abuzz with
excitement about the then-forthcoming marriage of Yehudis Kaminezki, the
eldest child of Rabbi Shmuel and Chana Kaminezki. The wedding, with a guest
list numbering 1200, took place in the Dnipr Arena, a football stadium, early
in June. The marriage of Yehudis was the first wedding of a Chabad emissary
child in the post-Soviet states after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
20.
Vyecheslav
“Slavik” or “Zelig” Brez is the Executive Director
(Исполнительный
директор) of the Philanthropic
Fund of the Dnipropetrovsk Jewish Community (Благотворительный фонд Днепропетровского еврейского общины), which supports
Chabad interests in the city. The 2010-2011 budget for the community
is $4.8 million, a modest increase over the 2009-2010 budget of $4.5 million.
However, said Mr. Brez, as of March 30 [the date of the interview], the
Philanthropic Fund had only $4.2 million in cash and good pledges. He was very
concerned about Chabad ability to support its summer camps and certain facility
renovations scheduled for the summer months, he continued. Implementation of
some new programs in adult Jewish education has been delayed. However,
notwithstanding the uncertainty of the Chabad financial situation, the
Philanthropic Fund had increased its allocations for care of the sick by
30 percent, most of which was designated for surgical procedures and
medi-cations. It was imperative to assist ill members of the local Jewish
community, Mr. Brez said; the cost of medical care had risen substantially, far
beyond the means of many families.
The Board of the Philanthropic Fund
includes 85 members, each of whom contributes a minimum of $500 monthly to the
Fund, responded Mr. Brez to a question. If a Board member falls behind in his
payments, Mr. Brez continued, he may be retained on the Board for six to 12
months. A few individuals who had been removed from the Board for non-payment
had recently re-joined the Board after paying all missed assessments. The
Chabad community was anticipating continuing cutbacks in the allocation
from Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, the Jewish federation in
Dnipro-petrovsk’s sister-city. From a high of $200,000, the Boston allocation
was expected to dip to $120,000 in the current fiscal year. Boston funds support
designated program areas, such as Beit Baruch, the hip replacement program,
food at School #144, and the Big Brother/Big Sister program.
Board
members serve on certain functional committees, such as Jewish education,
welfare, culture, media, and regional operations outside the city. However,
said Mr. Brez, it is difficult to find individuals who are willing to chair
these committees. Opportunity for leadership responsibility generally
does not attract people to the Board, he continued.
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