Odessa, Ukraine - Day 2

I view the work of Federation as an opportunity to connect our past with the present in order to create a vibrant future. Our busy day in Odessa brought this concept to life. The contrast between the past and the present is quite remarkable in Odessa. The Odessa pre-Soviet era was an enlightened diverse community. The reign of the Soviet Empire had a dramatic impact on the region. An enlightened life and certainly a Jewish enlightened life was squelched under Soviet rule. The Odessa that has emerged in the past 16 years since I was here is remarkable and the Jewish life that continues to blossom is miraculous. It is our spirit, determination and generosity that has facilitated the rebirth of vibrant Jewish life in Ukraine. In order to be able to connect the past present and future we need to be able to think of our Jewish world as a community where we care for each other. Our group was divided into home visits today and here is our story about a Mom and her daughter for whom we are a lifeline. Pictured below are Julia, age 11 and Galina, 51. They are with their American Jewish Joint Distribtution Committee (JDC) caseworker Dianna, pictured on the right. Galina is a single Mom who has been sick with lung cancer. They live in one room that was her grandparent's apartment from the Soviet days of communal living spaces. They share a kitchen and bathroom with other families. Their one room consists of a bed, a couch, a kitchen table and two chairs. The space is a little larger than my office, but not much. Julia and Galina only have each other. But, they have the Jewish world looking out for them through Dianna, yu and me.

A few photos of where Galina and Julia live.

We accompanied Galina and Julia to the grocery store. Because of their dire financial circumstances, Galina receives a card that is preloaded with money, $14 per month, to purchase groceries. This is in addition to the $145 that Galina receives from the state. This is all of the money that they live on. Galina's cart of groceries in a US supermarket would only be a few dollars more. Below is what Galina purchased - oil, pasta, grain, and some chicken. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a luxury. Galina wants to give Julia as normal a life as possible and chooses between food and caring for her daughter. Galina's health suffers because of the choices she needs to make. I had so many questions for them. I felt happy to know they were being taken care of by the Jewish community and yet so very sad for their circumstances. How was I so lucky to have family who left Eastern Europe and her family stayed? My boys were certainly on my mind. The contrast - past and present - and what would the future hold for sweet spunky Julia? When I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said, "I don't know." I just wonder if Julia can dream beyond her difficult day to day circumstances? She attends a Jewish school and participates in JCC programs. I hope that our work with her will give her the ability to dream about her future.

With a heavy heart we left Galina and Julia to visit the largest synagogue in Odessa. This had been a synagogue prior to the Soviet era and then it was turned into a school and the sanctuary was a gym. When I visited in 1996 the building was falling apart. The sanctuary looked like an old tired basketball court. I barely recognized the facility today. The dark, dreary, sad synagogue is bursting with color and beautiful Jewish life. I am holding off on posting a picture of the synagogue until I can scan and upload the old picture for compare and contrast purposes. Stay tuned! The syngagoue was emblematic of a sprit reawakened in Odessa. In 1996 we saw few smiles, little color and only heard of the desire to renew life here. Today, there is light, life, color, and hope. One bright light is Anya who is part of a young leadership program in Odessa learning how to give back and understand that she can now not only be a recipient of services, but also be a volunteer and donor too.

Our next stop was a well known and highly respected music school. We heard two contrasting stories - divergent paths from Odessa both successes of our rescue work. Anastasia is a musician and Misha works on our behalf for the Jewish Agency for Israel. We also met with people who are studying Hebrew. They are learning Hebrew so that they can communicate with their family who now live in Israel. The Jews who resettled in Israel have married and they have children. They are now first generation Israeli. They are Hebrew speaking Israelis and their grandparents and friends want to speak Hebrew in order to be a part of their lives. Just a short time ago many of these people did not know they were Jewish. Today, they learn Hebrew, study text and feel a part of a strong global Jewish people. This is what we have created. What if we had not rescued Russian Jews and brought them to safety in Israel and what if we did not rebuild their Jewish communities? I do not like to imagine what that contrast would have looked like versus what we witnessed today.

After the music school we made our last stop of the day at the community JCC where we met with people of all ages who are being helped through senior programming. The JCC provides a social network for seniors and youth. This is the place where people like Julia can come to be with other children. We heard two survivors share their stories. And, we saw an amazing performance from the youth who participate in the JCC theater program. Past, present, future. We saw and felt it all today. There are still many remnants of the Soviet era. Behind lovely facades there is decay in Odessa. At the same time, from this decay beautiful Jewish life emerges. The future - we are preparing younger generations to sustain themselves, care for their elders and provide for those at risk among the community. It was a tiring yet exihlerating day. I feel proud to be a part of the Federation's transformative work. I hope this snipet of our day helps you feel it too.