In common with other
rabbis, Rabbi Edri was critical of the Joint Distribution Committee. The ballet classes and other cultural activities
that are offered at the local JDC-sponsored Jewish community center are available
elsewhere in the city, he said; JDC funds should focus on welfare needs, which are
substantial and only superficially addressed.
He believes that his own synagogue-based welfare service distributes more actual
aid than does the hesed. Rabbi Edri continued
that JDC operations should concentrate on the needs of Jewish elderly, mothers and
preschool-age children, and special-needs children and their families.
Taglit
(birthright
Israel) is very effective in strengthening Jewish identity and conveying the centrality
of Israel in Jewish life, said Rabbi Edri.
He also is enthusiastic about MASA, which, he believes, provides young people
with an excellent opportunity to explore opportunities in Israel.
However, he finds the Na'aleh high school in Israel program less sound
because, he said, it targets adolescents who are too immature to leave their families
and native environments.
Kyiv
Situated on both banks of the Dnipr
River in the north central part of the country, the origins of Kyiv are lost in
antiquity. The Ukrainian capital is, however,
known as the “mother of all Russian cities,” long pre-dating cities in Russia itself. Kyivan Rus – the city and territories around
it - is considered the forerunner of the modern Russian state.
In 988, Prince Volodymyr
of Kyiv designated Orthodox (Byzantine rite) Christianity as the state religion
of Russia and established its seat in Kyiv.
Kyivan Rus attained its greatest powers in the eleventh and twelfth centuries when
it was a trading center between the Baltic and Mediterranean seas.
Sacked by Mongols in 1240, the lands of Kyivan Rus were successively under
Tatar, Lithuanian, and Polish control from the fourteenth century and then annexed
by Russia in 1686. The third largest city
in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Kyiv was occupied and almost completely
destroyed by German forces between September 1941 and November 1943.
Now the capital
of independent Ukraine, Kyiv is the political hub of the country and an important
center of Ukrainian commerce, industry, culture, and education.
Increasingly, prominent businessmen from other parts of the country are relocating
to Kyiv in order to be close to government, national financial institutions, and
other critical national organizations. It is as well a magnet for younger people
wishing to build careers in post-Soviet Ukraine.
The 2013 population of the city is approximately 2.8 million.

Kyiv is a mix of old and new, but
the Dnepr River is constant. The wealthier
west bank of the city hosts a number of magnificent centuries-old cathedrals, as
well as critical government, economic, and cultural institutions.
Massive newer apartment blocks dominate the lower-status east bank.
Photo: http://www.levi9.com/wp-content/
gallery/city_gallery_kiev/kiev-panorama.png.
Retrieved August
26, 2013.
Estimates of the
size of the Jewish population of Kyiv range from 25,000 to 50,000.
Unlike many other large Jewish population centers in the post-Soviet states,
Ukraine lacks unambiguous Jewish leadership.
The chief rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine, Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, frequently
is absent from the city, and no other individual has emerged as a leader of Kyiv
Jewry. The majority of Kyiv Jews remain aloof
from organized Jewish activity. Although
a small group of young adults is initiating several new Jewish ventures, the impact
of their activity is yet to be measured.
Jewish Education
70.
The Orach Chaim Jewish day school (School #299), operating under the
auspices of Chief Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, is the oldest of five Jewish day schools
in the city. For the first time in many years,
its principal, Khariton Gilgur, declined to speak with the writer, perhaps
at the suggestion of Rabbi Bleich, who earlier had expressed displeasure with Mr.
Gilgur's statements to the writer. Historically,
the school and related institutions were dispersed over four buildings - separate
boys' and girls' schools, and separate boys' and girls' dormitories - in different
locations. All facilities were in deteriorating
physical condition.
Rabbi Bleich stated
in an interview that enrollment is now between 100 and 120 from grades one
through 11.
In an effort to reduce costs, boys and girls now are in the same
building; classes in grades one through four are mixed, and classes in grades five
through 11 are separated by gender. Approximately
80 children are in a preschool, and another 80 are in a boys' heder and girls' machon. The preschool, heder, and machon have been
more successful in retaining enrollment.
He was in the process,
continued Rabbi Bleich, of closing down the dormitories for children from
at-risk homes. Occupancy had declined over
the years;
further, closure of these buildings and programs would generate considerable savings. Those youngsters who remained in need of such
housing would be transferred to the Tikvah homes in Odesa.
In response to a
question about his previous plans to open an academically strong community Jewish
high school that might draw Jewish youngsters from across the city, Rabbi
Bleich said that such an institution is not feasible in the near future.
He realizes, he said, that he needs to focus on upgrading the current elementary
school in order to increase enrollment and build a base for a stronger and more
attractive high school.
71.
The Simcha-Chabad Jewish Academy was established
in 1992 by Berel Karasik, then a Chabad-associated local leader in Kyiv.
The two-building institution is located in the Dniprovskiy district of the city,
on the east bank of the Dnipr River. Simcha
is affiliated with Tsirei Chabad (Young Chabad), an Israel-based faction
of the Chabad movement. The school receives no financial assistance from Ohr Avner,
the educational arm of the Chabad-controlled Federation of Jewish Communities. The
writer spoke with Rabbi Mordechai Levenhartz, director of Tsirei Chabad programs
in Ukraine.
Enrollment at Simcha
reached a peak of 540 youngsters in 2007-2008, said Rabbi Levenhartz.
Current enrollment (2012-2013) is 235 (compared to 252 last year). Enrollment in the preschool is about 100, slightly
higher than last year. In response to a question,
Rabbi Levenhartz said that the majority of Simcha graduates remain in Kyiv,
entering a variety of local universities and colleges, including some very demanding
ones. About four or five in every class go
to Israel, including those who leave Simcha after ninth grade to enroll in the Na'aleh
high school in Israel program and those who join Jewish Agency college preparatory
programs. In response to a question, Rabbi
Levenhartz said that he did not know if any Simcha graduates had joined any of the
MASA programs; he loses track of kids after they leave the school, he acknowledged.
The information technology program at
Simcha remains weak, acknowledged Rabbi Levenhartz.
They have no computers at all in the lower school (preschool and grades one
through five), and the upper school has only second-hand computers given to the
school by KLM, the airline. These computers
have no peripherals; however, the main office has Internet capacity and a scanner.
Rabbi Mordechai Levenhartz, an Israeli,
is respected in Kyiv for his broad, communal approach to Jewish education.
His facilities are located in a deprived area of the city.
Photo: the writer.
Although improving
the quality of computer-related education at Simcha is an important goal, stated
Rabbi Levenhartz, his greatest priority is raising at least $50,000 to repair a
substantial leak in the roof of one of his two buildings.
Water infiltration is so serious that mold has formed on the walls, creating
a dangerous health situation. They have had
to close off a section of the building in order to avoid exposing youngsters and
their teachers to the danger imposed by this problem.
In general, continued
Rabbi Levenhartz, fundraising remains very difficult in the current economic
environment. Some wealthy Jewish oligarchs
refuse even to listen to him; he understands that such people with means are approached
by "everyone" in the Jewish community who needs assistance, but the situation
is very discouraging. Rabbi Levenhartz said
that meeting the regular budget is tough; finding additional money for emergencies
adds an extra dimension of anguish.
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