Ukraine Trip - June 5-19, 2000 

Community Services Visit to Ukraine 

Dnepropetrovsk, Kyiv, Uzhhorod, and Mukachevo

Executive Summary

Full Report

NCSJ and Boston representatives visiting 
with Dnepropetrovsk community educators

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Lesley Weiss, NCSJ Director of Community Services and Cultural Affairs, joined Dr. Judy Wolf, NCSJ Chair of Community Services; Dr. Donald Wertlieb, psychologist from Tufts University; and Dr. Stephan R. Glicken, Director of the New England Medical Center's Deaf Family Clinic, on their visit to the Boston Jewish community’s Kehilla Project in Dnepropetrovsk.  (Read Washington Jewish Week article.)

DNEPROPETROVSK

Parent/Teacher Special Education Resource Center 
at Beit Hana in Dnepropetrovsk, initiative of Boston 
Jewish community

The focus of the trip to Dnepropetrovsk was on the special needs initiative of Boston's broader Kehilla Project -- a Parent/Teacher Special Education Resource Center located in the Beit Hana Jewish Women’s Pedagogical Institute.  Meetings also were held with representatives of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, the Jewish community center, Jewish day school, and the Golden Rose Choral Synagogue. The group also visited the site of the 1941 massacre of the Jews of Dnepropetrovsk.

KYIV

Judy, Don and Lesley traveled to Kyiv and met with members of the Jewish community as well as American and Israeli officials.  NCSJ was represented at a luncheon in honor of Sallai Meridor, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel (“Sochnut”), who praised NCSJ’s important work during Soviet times and for contributing today to the cohesiveness of the Jewish community worldwide.  Other meetings included U.S. Ambassador Steven Pifer, Israeli Ambassador Ana Azari, JDC, the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, Ukrainian Chief Rabbi Yakov Bleich, Rabbi Alexander Dukhovny of the Religious Union for Progressive Jewish Congregations of Ukraine, and Josef Zissels, Executive Vice President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine. 

At site of 1941 Babi Yar massacre: (l.-r.) Rabbi Yakov Bleich, Chief Rabbi of Ukraine; Sallai Meridor, Jewish Agency Chairman; Lesley Weiss, NCSJ Director of Community Services and Cultural Affairs

WESTERN UKRAINE

Following Kyiv, Lesley joined her mother, Irene Weiss, a Holocaust survivor from the trans-Carpathian region of present-day Ukraine, and with Lesley's two brothers visited her mother’s former home and family business.  They also met with the Jewish community leaders of Uzhorod and Mukacevo, where they found a struggling  survivor community with desperate and immediate needs.

 

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REPORT ON COMMUNITY SERVICES 
VISIT TO UKRAINE

June 2000

Introduction
Dnepropetrovsk & Kyiv
    Dnepropetrovsk
    Kyiv
Uzhhorod, Mukacevo & Transcarpathian
Conclusions

INTRODUCTION

The Community Services trip was divided into three parts: 

1) Lesley Weiss joined Judy Wolf, Dr. Donald Wertlieb of Tufts University and Dr. Stephan R. Glicken of the New England Medical Center on their visit to the Boston Jewish Community's Kehilla Project in Dnepropetrovsk. The trip focused on Boston's special needs initiative, a special needs resource center located in the Beit Hana Jewish Women's Pedagogical Institute. Meetings were also held with representatives of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Jewish Confederation of Ukraine (JCU), the Jewish community center, a Jewish day school, and the Golden Rose Choral Synagogue. The group also visited the site of the 1941 massacre of the Jews of Dnepropetrovsk.

2) Judy, Don and Lesley traveled to Kyiv and met with members of the Jewish community as well as American and Israeli officials. NCSJ was represented at a luncheon in honor of Salay Meridor, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel ("Sochnut"), where he praised NCSJ's important work and contribution toward the cohesiveness Jewish communities worldwide. Other meetings included briefings with U.S. Ambassador Steven Pifer and Israeli Ambassador Anna Azari, the JDC, Ukrainian Chief Rabbi Yaakov Bleich, Yosef Zissels, Executive Vice-President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine and Rabbi Alexander Dukhovny of the Religious Union for Progressive Jewish Congregations of Ukraine.

3) Following Kyiv, Lesley joined her mother, Irene Weiss, a Holocaust survivor originally from the trans-Carpathian region of present-day Ukraine. Lesley's two brothers joined them on their visit to Irene's childhood home and family business. They also met with Jewish community leaders of Uzhhorod and Mukacevo where they found a struggling survivor community with desperate and immediate needs.


DNEPROPETROVSK AND KYIV

General Observations

Several themes dominated the trip to both cities: the vibrancy of the Jewish community, the need for cooperation among the many Jewish organizations, and the awareness of the important relationship between the Jewish community and the Ukrainian government.

An unstable economy with high inflation and unemployment rates affects both the needs and costs of essential services. Kyiv and Dnepropetrovsk seem to grow asymmetrically. New restaurants and hotels have been built, but only a small number of local inhabitants can afford them. Government salaries and pensions are paid sporadically, if they are paid at all. While the main streets have designer boutiques, the back streets often lack both streetlights and sidewalks. Roads desperately need repair. Cars crowded the streets with steady traffic jams, yet gasoline is unaffordable. Buildings are crumbling, and unequipped hospitals are dark, unairconditioned and without heating. Behind in technology, health care services are worsening, however most of the population is too poor to take advantage of its meager services. 

Presently, governmental accountability and availability of information are still underdeveloped. Personal contacts remain key to getting things done and solving problems.

In the former Soviet Union, World War II held mystical symbolism. Soviet civilian and military losses were enormous. The memory of the war is perpetuated in school studies, public events, and monuments. In many cities it is customary to take bridal pictures near parks and memorials. 

Dnepropetrovsk was occupied by the Germans whose impact is still felt today. The city's main boulevard houses the first tank that entered the successful fight to drive the Germans out of Ukraine. A city museum's patio showcases military equipment from the war, and a huge diorama of the battle for Dnepropetrovsk is a permanent exhibition. At the annual Victory Day celebration, marchers representing each significant religious community and social group along with schoolchildren and veterans place flowers at an obelisk commemorating civilian and military wartime sacrifices. The Soviet government's disparagement of Jewish wartime contributions and the denial of their tragic losses in the Holocaust were tools intended to isolate the Jewish community. In Dnepropetrovsk, thousands of Jews were murdered in a ravine near the city's university. A soccer field now covers the area believed to be the site of the massacre, and goats graze on nearby burial ground. 

Lesley Weiss

Soviet-era sports field marks site of wartime 
Dnepropetrovsk massacre.


JEWISH COMMUNITY LIFE

The Ukrainian Government maintains cordial relations with Jewish leaders, participates in major community events, and disavows anti-Semitism. However, nationalist groups are vocal, and anti-Semitism on the street is a problem. Nevertheless, in the two cities visited the Jewish community has a strong presence. Construction of Jewish-owned buildings is underway. The Golden Rose Choral Synagogue is under renovation in Dnepropetrovsk and the Brodsky Synagogue has recently reopened in Kyiv. Both Jewish communities are building new housing for the elderly and have several communal institutions including Jewish day schools, yeshivas, pre-schools, and welfare centers. 


DNEPROPETROVSK

Dnepropetrovsk, located on the west bank of the Dnipro River, was a closed city under the Soviets. It produced missiles during Soviet times and was the country's metallurgy center. Today, it is a poor industrial city experiencing tremendous economic distress. Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki, the Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk, heads the city's Jewish community. With his leadership and the help of the Boston Jewish community and other Jewish organizations, a foundation for Jewish community and religious life was established .

Bet Chana Jewish Women's Pedagogical Institute, an impressive example of international Jewish community partnership, includes a resource center for children with special needs. The children, who in much of the former Soviet Union are ostracized and neglected, are valued and given the special attention they need. Judy Wolf and her daughter Susan Wolf Fordham lead this initiative of Boston's Kehilla project. A more detailed report on the special needs initiative is available.

Dnepropetrovsk has one of the largest day schools in the FSU housing a newly-constructed computer center, a yeshivah for boys and a religious school for girls, a teacher training institute, two orphanages, and a summer camp. A new senior center is opening in the next few months along with a pharmacy and assisted housing for the elderly. The Jewish community has a newspaper and television show, and a federation of Jewish leaders has been formed to encourage fundraising, volunteer efforts and coordination between the agencies. 

A new Jewish medical center is expected to open at the end of the year, specializing in family medicine, dentistry and ophthalmology. The center can continue to grow due to the success of the pediatric and gynecological clinics established by the Boston Jewish community. Boston is also sponsoring a Big Brother/Big Sister program, a program for teachers from the two cities and a winter camp held in Dnepropetrovsk that brings students from both of the cities and Israel together.

Approximately 30 percent of the Jewish population consists of elderly pensioners. Some are able to travel in order to receive services, meals, and enjoy social activities and classes. Others have no family and live alone, some with infirmities that keep them homebound or bedridden.

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's (JDC) Hesed Center provides meals, laundry facilities, physical therapy, and educational classes to elderly Jews. Meals are served at different locations and are also delivered to the homebound. The center also recently recognized local community members who served in the armed forces from 1941-45 and presented an art exhibition by local artists depicting old and new city scenes. 

As part of the renovation of the Golden Rose Choral Synagogue, a Jewish community center, Holocaust museum, and research center will be constructed at the back of the synagogue.


KYIV

Multi-faceted strands of community-building characterize Jewish life in Kyiv. As the capital of Ukraine, it serves as the home to numerous embassies, the national government, headquarters of major public and private foundations, and is a nexus of corporate life. Among the international Jewish organizations with a presence in the city are the JDC, the Jewish Agency, Hillel, and ORT. 

Lesley Weiss

Dedicating new education center in Kyiv


Our delegation attended the dedication of the Jewish Agency's new education center. Salay Meridor, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel ("Sochnut"), was in Kyiv for the dedication, and Lesley and Judy joined his delegation at a luncheon in his honor. He spoke of the importance of Ukraine to Jews worldwide. The Jewish community in Ukraine is contributing to the Israel's growth through aliyah. His own grandparents were murdered at Babi Yar, and he pledged that the Jewish Agency would continue its support of Ukrainian Jews who choose to go to Israel. Yosef Zissels, Executive Director of the Va'ad and Executive Vice President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, spoke next. The Jewish Confederation's agenda includes Jewish education, welfare, Jewish culture, and issues relating to preservation and restitution. Rabbi Moshe Asman of the Brodsky Synagogue and Eli Izhaki, Head of the Jewish Agency's operations in Ukraine and Moldova also spoke. Vadim Rabinovitch of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine (UJCU) presented Mr. Meridor with a medal on behalf of the UJCU. 

Lesley Weiss was asked to represent the American Jewish delegation and offered greetings on behalf of NCSJ. She spoke about NCSJ's mandate which includes the development of community partnerships. Afterwards, Lesley, Judy and Don Wertlieb joined the Jewish Agency delegation and Chief Rabbi Bleich at a ceremony at Babi Yar.

Other meetings in Kyiv included sessions with Rabbi Alexander Dukhovny of the Religious Union for Progressive Jewish Congregations of Ukraine. In 1998, there were five progressive synagogues in Ukraine. Today, there are 35 congregations throughout Ukraine. The congregations have registered with the government, and most have bank accounts. Rabbi Dukhovny wants to pair his congregations with progressive congregations in the United States. His priorities are the cities of Lviv and Odessa. He spoke extensively about the restitution of Jewish communal property and internal community tensions. 

The Boston delegation also met with Yana Zaitseva Yanover, Director of the Center of Jewish Education of Ukraine, who spoke about Jewish educational programs. The Center is supported by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, with additional support from the Conference on Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference). During a recent trip to the United States, Yana met with the Anti-Defamation League. They are considering bringing a mission of Ukrainian teachers and students to Poland and Washington, DC. She also met with B'nai B'rith International, and they suggested that Holocaust educational materials that were developed for Lithuania be adapted for Ukrainian use. 

Yana provided an overview of the Jewish educational services available in Kyiv: three Jewish day schools, other synagogue-affiliated schools, classes offered by the Jewish Agency and JDC, university-level courses, and a research institute. She said that the Center is planning to post Jewish holiday information on the internet and plans to make it interactive. The Chicago Jewish Federation is exploring ways to broaden its Kehillah Project in Kyiv. Yana met with them in Chicago and looks forward to meeting with the Chicago delegation in Kyiv this September.

One of the most impressive centers of Jewish studies is the Judaica Institute directed by Leonid Finberg. Primarily a research academy, the institute examines past and present Jewish life. Due to limited funds, many of the publications have not been translated into English or Hebrew. In spite of these obstacles, the Judaica Institute's study of Jewish life in Ukraine is making a major contribution to the world Jewish community.

Israeli Ambassador Anna Azari covered a wide range of issues including aliyah and the Ukrainian government's response to Jewish emigration. She expressed interest in the special needs project in Dnepropetrovsk and suggested that similar work needs to be done with Russian immigrants in Israel. She also reported that 1,000 Ukrainian "Righteous Gentiles" have received medals from the State of Israel.

U.S. Ambassador Steven Pifer spoke about issues of communal property restitution and humanitarian assistance. He acknowledged the slow pace of restitution, and Lesley and Judy expressed NCSJ's appreciation for his involvement. The Ambassador indicated that USAID is working with the Parliament on a draft law that would ease restrictions on bringing humanitarian assistance into Ukraine.

Eli Izhaki, Jewish Agency Director for Ukraine and Moldova, said that the Jewish Agency began operating in Ukraine ten years ago. He projects that the agency will be finished with the "big operation" in 5-10 years. He said that 60 percent of the Jews who leave go to Israel. In Moldova, 97 percent of those emigrating make aliyah. Izhaki described the Jewish identity programs now in place. They offer 20 hours of Jewish history, Halacha, and a seminar on Shabbat. They also offer lessons on Jewish life and tradition. Five thousand children attend summer camps for eight days. In response to a question about western Ukraine, he described the region as more nationalist, more Ukrainian, and more anti-Semitic. 


UZHHOROD, MUKACEVO, & THE TRANSCARPATHIAN REGION

Read Washington Jewish Week coverage

Lesley Weiss left the Boston delegation and met her mother, Irene, and her two brothers and traveled to Irene's childhood village in the Transcarpathian region of western Ukraine. They were joined by Yuriy Slutskiy, Director of Magen Avot of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine; an organization that provides assistance to regional Jewish communities. There are about 2,000 Jews in the region, many of whom are Holocaust survivors and their families. Before the war, this region was 40-60 percent Jewish and a center of Jewish life, with numerous yeshivot and rabbis. 

(l.-r.) Lesley and her mother, Irene, meet with 
local residents of Irene's childhood village.

Before 1944, there were hundreds of synagogues, Jewish theatres, and schools. During the pre-war Czechoslovakian administration, Jews enjoyed tolerance and freedom. Germany returned this portion of the region to Hungary in 1938, and the Jewish community was decimated in the ensuing years. Most of the Jews were deported to the death camps of Poland. Most of the survivors left after the war, but those who remained suffered again under the Soviets. The survivors hid their Jewish identity as well as the fact that they were Holocaust survivors. The non-Jewish population attributed their survival to bribery or collaboration. 

As in the rest of Ukraine, there are few jobs, low incomes, no way to borrow money, unpaid and meager pensions, ($10-$20 a month) and poor medical care. The hospitals are in disrepair. The sick remain at home because of the dangerous sanitary conditions in the hospitals. A tetanus-diphtheria vaccination was offered recently, but it was considered too risky because of dirty needles. Dental care is dangerous for the same reason. Water is shut off most of the day; electricity is sporadic. The residents boil their water because of the high level of pollutants. Simple medications such as aspirin and Tylenol are not affordable.

In Mukacevo, Lesley and her family visited a synagogue run by Rabbi Avram Hoffman, a rabbi from Budapest who runs a soup kitchen for the elderly. Rabbi Yaakov Bleich and the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine support his program. There is also a Hesed center supported by JDC. About 500 Jews live in this city.

Lesley Weiss

Former Uzhhorod synagogue, currently a concert hall

In Uzhhorod there are 600 Jews. The Hesed center, "Hesed Shpira" is supported by JDC. The leaders of the Center described several social programs for the elderly and disabled. Lunches are provided six days a week. Food parcels are distributed during the Jewish holidays. Most of the Jews are elderly and poor. Although they feel wonderful about their new freedom, can speak freely with foreigners and be openly Jewish, they feel isolated and forgotten by world Jewry. 

The leaders of the community showed us the local synagogue and begged us for assistance. The government has returned half of the synagogue building to the Jewish community. Three non-Jewish families occupy the other half. The families have large dogs, which they keep in the common courtyard, preventing the Jews from entering the synagogue. The building is crumbling and the courtyard is full of garbage. The other synagogue we visited is now a philharmonic hall. 

One of the chairmen of the Hesed center presented a letter to Lesley and her family begging them for to assist his daughter who has kidney disease. She is undergoing self-dialysis through money provided by a Christian evangelical group in Slovakia, but the money is running out. He asked them to find a sponsor for his daughter so that she could continue this life-saving treatment. 

Both of these communities are desperate to connect with Jewish communities in the United States. 


CONCLUSIONS

As in the rest of the former Soviet Union, political and economic stability is crucial to the freedom and safety of Ukrainian Jews. Active and sustained American Jewish involvement is needed in advocacy and community-building efforts.

Jewish communal organizations are in the early stages of development. The vision, energy, and commitment are present, but the resources are lacking. Outside of the major cities, Jewish communities are struggling to maintain their communal services, and life for individual Jews is often desperate. The revitalization of Jewish life in these emerging communities requires economic support, Jewish educational resources, medical supplies, and advocacy in the context of an ongoing partnership. Where an active partnership exists between American Jewish communities and with communities in Ukraine, the Jewish population responds enthusiastically and creatively. 

The American Jewish community has an opportunity to connect with Jews who are seeking to learn more about Judaism. This Jewish revival needs encouragement and support.

Ultimately, the future of Jewish life in these countries depends on stable governments based on the rule of law and where Jews are integrated into the social and political life as full members of society. The fluid political environment provides opportunities as well as potential limitations for the Jewish community. American Jewry can continue to play a positive role in trying to reduce tensions and help ensure a Jewish future for the hundreds of thousands of Jews living in Ukraine and other successor states.