Krivoi Rog (Krivyy
Rih, Krivyy Rig)
Although
the previous Ukrainian government strongly encouraged the Ukrainianization of all
Ukrainian place names, the Russian name of Krivoi Rog has continued to be more commonly
used than is Krivyy Rih, the Ukrainian equivalent.
The city was founded in the 17th century as a Cossack village, but expanded
rapidly in the late 19th century following discovery and exploitation of high-grade
iron ore deposits in the area. Krivoi Rog
stretches some 130 kilometers (81 miles) in length, connecting numerous mining sites,
some of them now inactive. Production of iron and steel, chemicals, and
engineering equipment dominate its economic base. Krivoi Rog is located ap-proximately
136 kilometers southwest of Dnipropetrovsk.
Its general population in 2013 is about 664,000.
The Krivoi Rog steel mill pictured at right in 2005 has since been shut down, the
fate of many industrial enterprises in the city.
Photo: http://news.kievukraine.info/2005/10/mittal-steel-wins-crucial-new-auction.html.
Retrieved August 25, 2013.
65. The Jewish population of the city
is estimated by local Jews to be between 7,000 and 10,000.
The extreme linear nature of Krivoi Rog has impeded development of a sense
of community among local Jews.
Jewish Education
and Culture
66. The Ohr Avner Chabad day school
enrolled 88 youngsters in grades one through 11 (with no grade 10) and another 37
children in a preschool during the 2012-2013 school year.
Grade 10 was cancelled, explained Chabad Rabbi Liron Edri, an Israeli,
because so many students at that grade level went to Israel in the Na'aleh program
that too few remained to justify organization of a 10th grade class.
The school occupies a modern two-building campus.
The first edifice is a thoroughly renovated former three-building boarding
school; the three small structures in that facility are connected through the construction
of large, airy atria between buildings one and two and then between buildings two
and three. Although better planning during
the design process would have permitted the larger of the two atria to be used as
a sports facility, that large space stands empty most of the time, used only occasionally
for public gatherings. Instead, Rabbi Edri
built a completely new second structure containing a large gymnasium (sports hall)
and pre-school facilities. In common with
its sister structure, the new building contains an excess of large empty spaces,
extraordinarily wide hallways that branch out into other empty areas.
Much of the vacant space is dark,
as are occupied portions of the school premises, as users respond to urgent signs
imploring people to save electricity by
turning
off lights.
The writer watched a physical education class in the sports hall at left.
Ten girls were present, six of whom were sitting on benches.
The remaining four were in pairs, one girl in each pair at each end of the
gym; under the supervision of an apparent physical education instructor, each girl
was attempting to throw tennis balls to her partner at the other end of the hall,
a distance far too great for girls approximately 10 years old.
The space at right contains a play house with a living room, dining room, kitchen,
bedrooms, etc. Each room is at least partially
furnished. Pre-schoolers "play house"
in the model rooms, although it is doubtful that many local youngsters actually
live in such a spacious, modern home. The
tall, dark structure in the middle is a model tree.
The remainder of the large hall is empty.
The building also contains a modern auditorium with a contemporary sound
system. Modest income is derived from renting
out the sports hall and auditorium to local groups.
Photos: the writer.
School premises also include a well-equipped outdoor playground and spacious playing
fields, the most substantially developed outdoor sports area that the writer has
seen at any Jewish day school in the post-Soviet states.
As is the case with most Jewish day schools in Ukraine, the school
is losing enrollment. Rabbi Edri recently
changed its status from that of a private school to a public school so that it would
be eligible for additional government aid.
Few families were able to pay tuition costs of a private school.
The change of status required the closure of an attached dormitory that accom-modated
10 to 15 youngsters from nearby smaller towns and/or unstable home situations.
67.
Approximately 30 young adults are enrolled in the Krivoi Rog
STARS (Student Torah Alliance for Russian
Speakers) program, said Rabbi Edri. It is
a good program, he commented, but, nonetheless, it doesn't produce the results that
he would like to see. Very few young people
remain engaged in the synagogue after they complete the stipend-based course of
study.
Welfare
68.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee operates a hesed
and a Jewish community center in a small two-story building that was originally
constructed as a nursery school. The structure
has been significantly renovated and now includes an elevator.
The writer was unable to visit the hesed.
Synagogue-Related
Programs
69.
Rabbi Liron Edri, a Chabad rabbi from Israel, arrived
in the city in late summer of 2001 and has proved to be a strong leader for a Jewish
population that had little effective indigenous leadership at the time.
He has been adept in working with local officials in obtaining suitable property
for a Jewish day school and additional land for a new synagogue.
(See below.) Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki
assisted him in making contact with several individuals with Krivoi Rog roots who
have provided financial support for these undertakings.
Rabbi Liron Edri, an Israeli, is an effective community rabbi in Krivoi Rog.
Photo: the writer.
A new synagogue was completed in 2010, funded by a former Krivoi Rog resident. It seats 180 individuals on the main floor,
with a portable mechitsa (barrier separating men and women) used during the
week. An upstairs women’s gallery accommodating
70 people is used on Shabbat. Unlike many
other new or renovated synagogues in the post-Soviet states, the Krivoi Rog synagogue
contains an elevator, which can be programmed for Shabbat.
Surrounding
the prayer hall are a number of classrooms and meeting rooms that accommodate classes
and clubs, a synagogue welfare office, a kosher food and Judaica store, a kitchen
and dining facility, a small Jewish Agency office and a Jewish Agency Sunday school,
and offices. A synagogue welfare program
distributes food parcels, clothing, and some cash subsidies to needy individuals. A Jewish war veterans group also meets at the
synagogue. A small, but well-designed local
Jewish history museum occupies a room on the second floor.
The synagogue also displays the work of contemporary local Jewish artists,
some of whom have been able to attract purchasers through this exposure.
The synagogue in Krivoy Rog is a
striking building located on a major street close to the Chabad day school.
Photo: http://www.godaven.com/detail.asp?Id=17493&Country=Ukraine. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
Rabbi Edri described
local Jews as very good people and generous; however, he continued, current
economic conditions mean that no one has money with which to show their generosity. The closure of some local industries and downsizing
of others has led to a general depression of salaries in the city by 25 percent. Far fewer people are receiving bonuses, so
much less cash is circulating now than previously.
Prior to the crisis, his costs were approximately $60,000 monthly, said Rabbi
Edri. He now has cut back to $45,000 monthly;
one outcome was dismissal of one of the four young rabbis from Israel who assist
him in Jewish education and culture activity.
Young Jews are
leaving Krivoi Rog,
Rabbi Edri stated. He believes that the next
decade will see the demise of smaller organized Jewish communities; only Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk,
Kharkiv, and Odesa will be able to organize Jewish activity for those Jews of pre-retirement
age who remain. In 10 years, only about 5,000
Jews will reside in Krivoi Rog, he said, and most of them will be older adults. When asked who would use his large day school
buildings, he shook his head and said that he didn't know.
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