61. The Perlina School
is an independent, private Jewish day school currently operating at close to
capacity with 120 youngsters in preschool and grades one through seven.
(Capacity is 124 pupils.) Perlina receives no government aid, but charges $600
monthly per pupil, said Rabbi Yonatan and Mrs. Ina Markovich, the
Israeli couple who established and direct the school. The tuition fee is
typical for good private schools in Kyiv, the Markoviches said, but only about
one-third of Perlina pupils come from families who pay the full fee.
Scholarships for the others are provided through fundraising. Unfortunately,
said Mrs. Markovich, economic distress has forced some formerly tuition-paying
families to request scholarship assistance; some of these families are
embarrassed by, and even ashamed of, the situations in which they now find
themselves. All pupils are at least partially Jewish, but not all are
halachically Jewish, Mrs. Marko-vich stated.
Perlina students
presented an Eng-lish-language puppet show with hand puppets from behind the
blue curtain, reaching over it for the performance. They later received audience
ap-plause in front of the curtain.
Photo: the writer.
The major appeal of the school to
parents, stated the Markoviches, is small classes (no more than 15 pupils in a
class) and a strong emphasis on acquisition of English-language skills,
as well as a rigorous overall general studies curriculum. Youngsters are
scheduled for 10 classes of English weekly, all taught by native English
speakers.
Additionally, they have five weekly classes in Hebrew and three in Jewish
tradition. Pupils also participate in an abridged version of traditional
morning prayers every day and a kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming the Sabbath)
observance every Friday afternoon.
Perlina has long sought to expand its
elementary school into a full 11-year school (along with a preschool),
but lacks space in its current premises. The previous mayor had agreed to
lease two currently unused preschool buildings to Perlina for such expansion,
but Rabbi Markovich is uncertain whether the offer still stands under the new
city administration. Further, substantial financial resources would be
required for conversion of preschool buildings into a first-rate high school
with science laboratories, a sports hall, and ordinary classrooms and other
space suitable for teenagers. As it is, the city cut off heat and hot water to
Perlina during part of the winter for non-payment of bills. (See below for information
about another education program operated by Rabbi and Mrs. Markovich.)
62. The writer was
unable to visit the Mitzvah school, a small school that probably enrolls
fewer than 100 children in preschool and elementary grades. Mitzvah operates
under the auspices of Chabad Rabbi Moshe Reuven Asman.
63. Rabbi Yonatan and Mrs. Ina Markovich, who operate the
Perlina school, opened a school for autistic children in Kyiv in
2010. Known as Дитина
з майбутнім (Ukr.; Children
with a Future), the school is housed in a renovated two-story building
previously used as a preschool. Enrollment at the school now stands at 32
youngsters between the ages of two and seven, which is full capacity for the
current building. The teacher:pupil ratio is 1:1, not including speech
therapists, psychologists, and other specialists. Due to the large number of
educators and other skilled professionals required for schools of this type,
the monthly tuition is $2,000, more than twice the cost of a good private
school for normal youngsters. All families pay something, stated Mrs.
Markovich, but the majority receives substantial support from a scholarship
fund. However, she continued, available funds are insufficient to cover
tuition for all pupils and, regrettably, five youngsters left the program when
their families were unable to pay a reasonable share of its costs. A major
problem, she continued, is that most families are single-parent families
because the father simply walks out when faced with the reality of his child's
issues; thus, the family draws on only one income, and that only if the mother
is able to work.
A
teacher helps two autistic pupils with lunch. Mrs. Markovich said that the
school is fortunate to have attracted two men to teaching positions in a field
dominated by women. (It is likely that the Marko-vich school offers the best conditions
in Kyiv for teachers of autistic children.) Note the teacher's scarf in
Ukrainian national colors.
Photo: the writer.
Notwithstanding the financial commitment
required of all families, the school has a long waiting list. It has achieved
a good reputation in its three years of operation, Mrs. Markovich said,
even managing to prepare some youngsters for successful entry into regular,
conventional schools. A related issue is the development of a continuing
program for youngsters above the age seven who cannot attend regular
schools. The process of establishing such a school is bureaucratically
difficult, Mrs. Markovich stated, because no precedents for it exist. No
Ukrainian curriculum has been prepared for this type of school, she continued,
so curricula from other countries would have to be translated, studied, and
adapted to Ukrainian reality. Further, she noted, few govern-ment ministries
are functioning during the current political situation. Heads of ministries
have simply left their posts and gone home. Confusion reigns among staff who
still come to work and, clearly, no one has authority to make decisions.
Other problems include a lack of
understanding in the broader community about autism and a conflict
between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health about which
ministry controls autism-related proposals and programs. Mrs. Markovich and
some of the more articulate parents of autistic children have mobilized a group
of volunteers who provide information to interested people in the Ministry of
Health and to the interested public; they also lobby the Ministry of Education
to establish special classes for autistic youngsters. However, the Ministry of
Education provides no funding for the preparation of teachers equipped with
skills to work with autistic children; a few pedagogical institutions offer
such programs on their own initiative, but these programs receive no financial
support from the state and usually are poorly organized and shallow in content.
Mrs. Markovich and her associates have approached several foreign embassies and
foundations for support in promoting public awareness of autism, but, technically,
they represent no one but themselves. They have no formal organization, no
office or telephones; a friend is providing modest office space and a part-time
secretary, but they need a much more substantial infrastructure to achieve
their goals.
Working with parents of autistic children is another area that
requires a great deal of attention, Mrs. Markovich stated. Few pediatricians
have been educated to recognize signs of autism in early childhood. Children
are enrolled in regular preschools or schools, where they immediately are
labeled as problem children and usually expelled. Frequently, parents deny
that any real issues exist and blame the teacher or school principal for
incompetence; they feel that they are being blamed as deficient parents and
become belligerent, vigorously denying that they use drugs (when no one has
accused them of using drugs). They are not "losers," they say, and
their children are not losers either.
Such parents expect the Markovich school to
"cure" their children since they are paying tuition. They decline to
work with their children at home, refusing to follow instructions issued by the
school to reinforce skills taught there. For example, the school succeeds in
teaching a child how to tie his shoes and then informs the parents of this
achieve-ment; the parents are asked to follow up at home, encouraging the
youngster to tie his shoes as he gets dressed. However, Mrs. Markovich stated,
many parents continue to tie the child's shoes for him, claiming that it is
"easier" that way. Some parents say that the school should not tell
them how to raise their children.
To address these problems of parental denial,
frustration, and aggression, the school will begin a new program for parents in
September 2014. First, said Mrs. Markovich, all parents will be required to
sign a contract that states, among other things, that they will follow
protocols of the school at home. Second, Mrs. Markovich continued, the school
will organize some compulsory classes/gatherings for parents in which these
feelings of denial, frustration, and aggression can be discussed and confronted
in a productive manner. Obviously, such sessions can be used for counseling
and socialization as well.
64. Iosif "Iosik" Akselrud
is the Director of Hillel CASE, the section of the Hillel student
organization that oversees Hillel operations in Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova,
Georgia Azer-baidzhan, and Uzbekistan. He is less concerned with specific
Hillel programs in Kyiv, he said, than with overall management issues. Known
as an excellent fundraiser, Mr. Akselrud said that it is impossible to raise
money in Ukraine this year. Political and economic instability simply deter people
from contributing.
Approximately
55 percent of the Hillel CASE budget is provided by U.S.-based sources,
principally Hillel International and the Schusterman Family Foundation, Mr.
Akselrud stated. He is responsible for raising another $595,000 within the
CASE area and spends about 80 percent of his time in pursuit of these
funds. The Genesis Philanthropy Group of Moscow is a dependable major donor,
Mr. Akselrud said, but he still must find $360,000 and doubts that he will be
successful. Budget cuts will be necessary. The current inflation rate of
about 30 percent just exacerbates an already difficult situation.
Iosif
Akselrud oversees Hillel operations across a broad swath of former Soviet
territory, from European territories through the Caucasus mountain area and
into Central Asia.
Photo: Hillel.
Referring to the Maidan demonstrations,
Mr. Akselrud said that many Hillel activists were active in the protests as
"strong, proud Ukrainians." Of those who were unable to participate,
many called Hillel with questions and/or just needed to talk with someone.
Many Hillel students also met in an impromptu manner, gaining support in a
turbulent time from being together in a comfortable Jewish setting. However,
violence in the streets caused Hillel organizations in both Kyiv and Lviv to
cancel their activities and close their offices for several days.
He has been in contact with the Crimean
Hillel groups in both Simferopol and Sevas-topol, stated Mr. Akselrud.
Hillel members have come together for mutual support in these cities as well,
he said. They do not want Crimea to be part of Russia. The immediate reality
of Russian control over Crimea, he continued, is that Hillel can no longer
transfer funds to Crimean Hillel through conventional Ukrainian channels. Obviously,
Hillel in Crimea is in particular need of financial assistance at this time,
but the organization will have to create other means of transferring funds and
reaching these groups in general.
Hillel had scheduled a September 2014
Shabbaton at a conference center outside Moscow in celebration of the 20th year
of Hillel operation in the post-Soviet states, Mr. Akselrud related.
Two-hundred people from all post-Soviet Hillels were expected, he said.
However, the conference will not take place, he continued, because Ukrainian
Hillel activists have declared en masse that they do not want to
"celebrate" anything in Russia and, therefore, they will not attend
such an event. Their Russian counterparts say that they understand. Perhaps,
the celebration will be transferred to Israel, Mr. Akselrud speculated, but substantial
fundraising will be necessary if this is the case.
Mr. Akselrud noted that a number of Hillel
and other Jewish seminars/conferences had been scheduled for Crimean resort
areas, but these will have to be re-scheduled for other venues. Reorganization
will be very disruptive and probably costly as well.
Notwithstanding all of the current
difficulties, Mr. Akselrud continued, it is important to remember Hillel's many
achievements. One of these, stated Mr. Akselrud, is Hillel University,
a four-stage leadership development program that is intended to generate Hillel
directors, Jewish-studies educators, and madrichim (leaders) for various situa-tions.
Working closely with the Buncher Leadership Program of the Joint Distribution
Committee, Hillel University prepares candidates through courses and seminars
in management and Jewish studies. One aspect of practical training in this
program is the management of JDC family camps by Hillel students.
A survey has recently been completed that
points to another achievement of Hillel, said Mr. Akselrud. Hillel, he stated,
claims credit for 243 Jewish weddings that have occurred between couples
who met through Hillel in Ukraine, Belarus, or Moldova over a recent five-year
period.
The CASE Hillel Board that Mr.
Akselrud created continues to meet and to raise money. The lead donor on the
Board, a Hillel alumnus, contributes $12,000 annually, Mr. Akselrud said, but
it will be many years before Hillel can cover its expenses from money raised solely
in the post-Soviet states. Oligarch Vadym Rabynovych continues his
significant support, Mr. Akselrud continued.
65. The Ukrainian Union of Jewish
Students, which is affiliated with the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS),
began to work in Ukraine in the 1990's, but suspended its activities after
several years. It has since renewed operations in Ukraine under the volunteer
leadership of Victoria Godik, who is employed professionally as an
instructor in engineering management at a local university. Officially, Ms.
Godik is Chairperson of UUJS, as well as a Vice President of the European Union
of Jewish Students.
WUJS/UUJS aims to "provide a community
for Jewish young adults and young professionals," Ms. Godik declared.
About 300 young Jews participate in UUJS activities in Kyiv, she stated, led by
a group of approximately ten activists. UUJS cooperates with WUJS groups in
other countries, such as the Baltic states, in planning weekend seminars and
other activities. However, Ms. Godik noted, it has been "very difficult
to concentrate this year" due to the conflict with Russia and the troubled
Ukrainian economy.
Almost
all younger Jews in Ukraine support full Ukrainian sovereignty and are
opposed to Russian intervention in Ukraine, Ms. Godik said. Some older Jews in
Ukraine may be pro-Russian because they are nostalgic for the superpower Soviet
Union and/or believe that their pensions would increase under Russian rule, but
these older people are living in the past, she claimed. Both younger and
middle-age Jews were out on Maidan in full force, stated Ms. Godik; Jews were
among the leaders as volunteer medics and were prominent in the "I.T.
tent" (information technology center). Jews also led "social
initiatives," such as food preparation, on Maidan.
Victoria
Godik is the volunteer leader of the Ukrainian Union of Jewish Students. She
speaks fluent idiomatic English.
Photo: the writer.
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