4. Machon Chaya Mushka occupies its own
building on the School #144 campus, enrolling 84 girls. Approximately
one-third of the girls are from Chabad families, almost all of whom are
Israelis, said Yael Borgen, an Israeli teacher supported by the Israeli
government through the Heftzibah program. Another 20 percent are girls who
live in the girls’ residential facility (see below) supported by Rabbi
Kaminezki, and the remaining 50 percent are girls from local families. Asked
about the appeal of the machon to local families whose relationship to Chabad
lacked depth, Mrs. Borgen responded that parents were attracted by the small
classes that seldom exceeded twelve girls and by the overall family atmosphere
of the school.
The school day begins
at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m., said Mrs. Borgen, acknowledging that its
length was difficult for some of the girls. Additionally, a shorter day is
scheduled for Sundays. Approximately one-half of the day is devoted to Jewish
subjects (taught mainly in Hebrew) and one-half to secular subjects. The
secular curriculum is geared toward the Israeli bagrut examinations,
Mrs. Borgen said, and the school also offers instruction in music, dance,
gymnastics, and art.
A group of machon girls begins
their ballet class in a small exercise room in the machon building. They are
wearing the tights that they wear with school uniforms and the three in the
rear are wearing school uniform blouses. None is wearing ballet slippers or
other footwear.
Photo:
the writer.
It is school policy, said Mrs. Borgen, that all girls from
the general Jewish population pay no tuition for enrollment in the
machon. However, Chabad families pay tuition on a sliding scale adjusted to
family means. All girls pay for their textbooks, both secular and religious,
she said.
The machon premises are separate from the rest of
School #144. Girls have their own classrooms, computer facilities, exercise
room, and dining room in their own building located in back of the main school
building. However, Mrs. Borgen observed, as the enrollment of the machon
grows, it is increasingly difficult to find appropriate space for all classes
in this discrete structure. Some classes now are held in a room designated for
teacher preparation and staff meetings. Girls from the machon rarely interact
with other pupils on the School #144 campus.
Rabbi Meir Stambler, Executive Director of the Chabad Federation of Jewish
Communities of Ukraine, told the writer in a later meeting that a new
Dnipropetrovsk campus for girls’ and women’s education now in the advanced
planning stage would include a residential high school for girls from Chabad
families throughout Ukraine. Presumably, girls from Chabad families in
Dnipropetrovsk would attend the school as day students. The new school might
include girls as young as nine or ten, and it could open as early as September
2012. Under such circumstances, the building on the School #144 campus now
used as a machon might be converted into a Chabad early childhood education
center, perhaps enrolling girls from nursery school through grade four.
5. The yeshiva katana (junior yeshiva) currently
enrolls 84 boys officially and another three who are not listed on official
school records. The other three are the sons of a rabbi from another Ukrainian
city; because the yeshiva officially is part of School #144, a Dnipropetrovsk
public school, youngsters who live outside Dnipropetrovsk lack authorization to
attend it.
According to an administrator, more than 50 of the boys
are from Chabad families (the majority from Israel) now working in
Dnipropetrovsk. Another 22 youngsters reside in the boys’ home sponsored by
Rabbi Kaminezki, and the remaining boys are from newly religious families in
the city. The school day begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. for younger
boys. The curriculum is split more-or-less equally between religious subjects
(taught in the morn-ing, mainly by Israelis) and secular subjects (taught in
the afternoon). However, some secular subjects, such as computer studies, are
taught very superficially. Older boys remain at the school until 5:30 for supervised
homework and extra-curricular activities. Very little homework is assigned in
religious subjects.
Although no public announcement has been made about a
change of venue, it is anticipated that a separate yeshiva katana facility will
be opened within the next several years for boys from Chabad families. In
common with the probable new machon for girls identified above, the new
yeshiva katana is likely to be a residential school for Chabad youngsters
from throughout Ukraine. (Many boys from Chabad families currently attend
Chabad high schools in Israel.) At the time of the writer’s visit, no site
had yet been identified for such an institution.
6. Rabbi Yossi Glick, supervises several children’s programs in the city, including residential
facilities for Jewish youngsters from troubled homes. Few of the children
are orphans in a legal sense; referred to as “social orphans”, the overwhelming
majority are from single-parent homes in which the custodial parent is unable
to provide adequate childcare due to alcohol or drug addiction, impoverishment,
or other problems. Some parents are imprisoned. A few youngsters had been cared
for by grandparents unable to cope with the needs of active, growing children.
Rabbi Glick reported that the number of youngsters living
in the two facilities remains stable after a significant decline in the past
several years; the current census, he said, is 22 boys between the ages
of six and 17 at the boys’ home (a former synagogue) and 16 girls between the
ages of five and 17 at the girl’s home (a former large private home). In the
past, the boys’ residence had accommodated as many as 40 boys and the girls’
residence had a peak enrollment of 28 girls. The decline in census is
attributed to overall Jewish population decline and to “competition” from
relatively new similar facilities for Jewish youngsters in nearby Zaporizhya
and Krivoy Rog.
All youngsters in the two residential facilities are
enrolled in the yeshiva katana or machon, said Rabbi Glick. Three yeshiva students studying
abroad serve as interim dorm counselors in the boys’ home, and a family resides
in the girls’ home, which also is served by several local counselors.
Recreational activities at the two homes have been reduced somewhat, noted
Rabbi Glick, reflecting both financial constraints and the realization that
youngsters were overly busy with little time to relax or study. However, boys
and girls are taken on excursions and have recreational opportunities within
their residences.
Youngsters
are rewarded with points for good behavior in the dormitories and for achievement at school,
Rabbi Glick responded to a question about allowances. The points may be
exchanged for various approved items at an internal store, he continued.
Previous experience with cash allowances, explained Rabbi Glick, led to outside purchases of
cigarettes and beer – and accompanying problems related to these pro-ducts.
A native of Australia, Rabbi Yossi Glick manages several
Chabad children’s programs in Dni-propetrovsk.
Photo:
the writer.
Although youngsters in the two residential facilities
frequently returned to their own homes during vacation periods in the past, the
number and length of homestays has been significantly reduced in recent
years, Rabbi Glick stated. Even a short weekend stay can lead to regressive
behavior back at the residential program as children react to the destructive
lives led by family members and neighbors, he continued. Instead, children in
the homes are taken to various resorts in the Crimea, along the Dnipr River,
and in other areas during vacation periods.
Although Chabad has struggled for years with the rather
unappealing premises occupied by the boys, no serious further renovation
is planned for the former synagogue, said Rabbi Glick. However, he continued, the
roof area of the girls’ home is being enclosed and will become a full apartment
for the supervising family in residence. It will include a full bathroom and
kitchen, said Rabbi Glick, unlike the current arrangements that force the
family to share bathroom and kitchen facilities with the girls. With such
private accommodations, the program should be able to attract a residential
family on a long-term basis.
In response to a question concerning the future plans
of youngsters after they complete the yeshiva katana or machon, Rabbi Glick
said that providing direction to further education for these young people after
they complete high school was the “biggest problem” that he faced. Many of the
girls, he observed, go on to a Chabad women’s college in Moscow or join
relatives in Israel. The boys, stated Rabbi Glick, attend yeshivas in New York
or France or go to Israel on their own.
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