He
maintains the community data base that he developed in Donetsk and is in contact with many internally displaced Jews from the city who now live in Kyiv, Kharkiv,
Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, and Odesa. Of course, he sees those in Kyiv most
frequently; he rents hotel space for gatherings on Sundays, holidays, and an occasional
Shabbaton. Two hundred people, some of
whom flew into Kyiv from other countries, attended a Pesach seder that he
arranged in the Ukrainian capital. He
provides food parcels, clothing, and rent subsidies for about 300 families. He also tries to help people find
employment, but that often is more difficult.
Rabbi Pinchas Vishedski led a
Jewish community in Donetsk. Now based
in Kyiv in an office owned by one of his Donetsk congre-gants, he tries to
assist those who remain in Donetsk, those who have settled in other Ukrainian
cities, and those who have moved to Israel.
Photo: the
writer.
Rabbi
Vishedski estimated that about 200 Donetsk Jewish families emigrated to Israel, some of them reluctantly. They left Ukraine with nothing, he said, but have
received special assistance in Israel from Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein of the
International
Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
His largest
assistance operation remains
in Donetsk. About 2,500 Jews remain
in the
troubled city, he stated. One rabbi, a
native of Donetsk who left when the Russians came, subsequently returned and
now directs the Chabad community; the Chabad JCC director also remains, as does
another employee who was part of the management team. Sixty to 70 people come to the synagogue on
Saturday for Shabbat, and over 200 attended a Pesach seder. The Chabad welfare service provides about 300
hot meals every day for those who are able to come to the synagogue. Food parcels, and some medicines are
distributed. Eighteen youngsters remain
in the Chabad day school (from a normal enrollment of 145) and seven children
remain in the preschool (from a prior enrollment of 45). On a personal level, his family housekeeper
comes into his family apartment every day to ensure that everything remains in
order.
Rabbi
Vishedski reflected that few other rabbis are providing assistance to the Donetsk Jewish population. Two notable exceptions, he said, are Rabbi
Shmuel Kaminezki from Dnipropetrovsk and Rabbi Nochum Ehrentreu from
Zaporizhzhia, both of whom have permitted Jewish IDP's from Donetsk to remain
in their own welfare facilities without charge. He also singled out Rabbi Yehiel Eckstein
of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, who has provided
significant financial assistance over many months; he realizes, continued Rabbi
Vishedsky, that Rabbi Eckstein remains controversial among some people, but, as
far as Rabbi Vishedsky is concerned, Rabbi Eckstein is a real tzadik (Heb.,
righteous man). The Joint Distri-bution
Committee also
provides some assistance, both in Donetsk and to Donetsk Jewish IDP's who now
reside elsewhere, said Rabbi Vishedski.
It is
difficult to predict what will happen in the future, Rabbi Vishedski
acknowledged. However, he said, Donetsk
remains his home.
Welfare
72. Raisa Gritsenko directs Hesed Bnei, the JDC welfare center in
Kyiv. The hesed serves about 9,330
clients, said Ms. Gritsenko, although the census declines from year to year as
elderly clients die and are not replaced.
In order to cope with higher costs and diminished resources, JDC has
tightened qualifications for assistance and thus accepts fewer new clients.
Notwithstanding budgetary constraints, the hesed
provides a range of services to help elderly Jews and some Jewish families in
distress. Perhaps the most basic is the
distribution of discount cards that recipients can use to purchase food and
medicines. Cash may be disbursed to people to pay
utility bills or to buy specific items of clothing. On occasion, the hesed also purchases new furniture
for people whose old furniture requires replacement.
Raisa Gritsenko, left, is the manager of Hesed Bnei, in Kyiv.
Photo: the
writer.
One of the
premier hesed onsite programs is its day center, which operates day-long programs
for seniors. Groups of 20 to 30
individuals participate each day, brought to the hesed and returned to their
homes in private vans twice each month.
While at the hesed, they are served a hot breakfast and lunch, confer
with social service workers about health issues and are referred to
specialists, participate in various clubs and cultural activities, and receive
hair dressing services.
Jewish
seniors who are mobile and can travel to and from the hesed on their own
participate in other onsite programs, such as music and art groups, discussion groups,
and various clubs, including a choir and other musical ensembles. The hesed also has developed a fitness program, said Ms. Gritsenko, with
specific plans tailored to the needs of individuals.
The hesed
distributes skin lotions, products for people with limited mobility (such as
walkers and wheelchairs), and other health care devices and supplies (such as
adult diapers). Fortunately, Ms.
Gritsenko said, the hesed is assisted by a group of very capable volunteers who provide valuable help in
managing the day programs and distribution of various welfare products.
About
1,600 immobile clients receive patronage services, that is, house cleaning, shopping, personal care,
and cooking in their own homes. Each
client is served a certain number of hours per week; social service workers
maintain contact with clients by telephone at other times. All patronage clients are given laminated
cards with emergency telephone numbers of local ambulance providers, the fire
department, etc.
Three
independent dining rooms serving impoverished Jews receive partial subsidies from
Hesed Bnei, stated Ms. Gritsenko. These
are at the Simcha community of Rabbi Levenhartz (about 50 people each day), the
Brodsky shul of Rabbi Asman (16 to 18 people daily), and Mechta (20 to 25 people).
Hesed Bnei
also delivers meals-on-wheels to 30 clients who are unable to shop or cook on
their own. Many more people need such
assistance, Ms. Gritsenko stated, but such a program is very expensive to
operate and the hesed simply lacks the resources to serve additional people.
The hesed
staff includes a psychologist who is available for consultations. Many people, said Ms. Gritsenko, need
counseling during these troubled times.
In addition to the loneliness often experienced by elderly people living
alone, some individuals are severely stressed in an economic sense and others
are very troubled by the political instability in the country.
73. The writer was unable to visit an assisted living
home for
elderly Jews that is operated under the sponsorship of Chief Rabbi Yaakov
Dov Bleich. This facility usually
accommodates approximately 28 to 30 residents; their expenses are covered by
rental fees from commercial properties located in the same building.
Ukrainian Jewish
Organizations
74.
The Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine, better
known as the Ukrainian Vaad, is chaired by Iosif Zissels, a
longtime Jewish community observer and leader in Ukraine. Although strapped for funds in the current
economic environment, the Vaad works in four main areas: Jewish property
preservation and restoration, as well as archival research; interethnic
tolerance; representation of Ukrainian Jewry in various international forums;
and operation of Jewish community programs in small Jewish population centers,
focusing on summer camps for adolescents. The Vaad has sponsored heritage expeditions
to places of Jewish interest in Ukraine, and Mr. Zissels himself is regarded as
well-informed and a capable analyst of Ukrainian Jewry.
Iosif Zissels is a veteran professional
in the Ukrainian Jewish community. He is a native of Chernivtsi.
Photo: the writer .
Speaking of Jewish
internally displaced people from the Donetsk and Luhansk areas, Mr.
Zissels said that approximately 6,000 had left these areas during the summer of
2014. About 50 percent of them emigrated
to Israel and 10 percent fled to different cities in Russia. The remaining 40 percent remain in Ukraine,
he continued, having established residence in a number of different
cities. Since summer, additional Jewish
IDP's have gone to Israel; probably 5,800 in all have resettled there. However, he knows that some of these
Ukrainian olim (immigrants to Israel) have returned to Ukraine. About 145 Ukrainian Jewish IDP's have
migrated to Germany, and another 100 have gone to the United States.
Today (mid-April,
2015), about 10,000 Jews remain in eastern Ukraine, Mr. Zissels said. The
situation for them there is dire.
Inflation is even higher than in the rest of the country, and
infrastructure (such as heating systems) has broken down. It is difficult to obtain medicines and other
necessities of life. In some areas,
including major cities, lawlessness prevails and remaining residents often are
victims of crime. People continue to
reside in these places so as to protect their property. If they abandon their apartments, others will
just take them over.
Regarding antisemitism,
Mr. Zissels said that it remains at a constant low level. Ukrainians "distinguish between friends
and enemies", and they know that many Jewish oligarchs are helping Ukraine
at this time of great pressure upon the country. He stated that he is "not worried"
about the antisemitism that does exist.
Questioned about the general
mood (настроение) in
Ukraine, Mr. Zissels said that the atmosphere is characterized by a great deal
of anxiety (тревога). People fear more war and terror attacks. They are uneasy about the economy,
particularly inflation and job security.
For Jews, he said, another question is whether they should emigrate or
remain. Many of the "elite"
(Jewish and non-Jewish), he noted, really don't care who controls eastern
Ukraine, as long as the war ends.
75. The writer was unable to meet with any
representative from United Jewish Community of Ukraine.
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