Previous page


Yiches table of contents


Next
Not far from Chernobyl, we visited elderly Jews in the city of Chernigov. A number of programs there are provided by the Joint Distribution Committee, an American organization dedicated to building Jewish communities wherever Jews live.  For example, they purchased a small apartment, called a 'warm house,' for older Jews to use as a meeting place.  In the absence of any synagogues, there had been no place for Jews to meet collectively before the warm house opened. 

Tea and hard times  We met with these older Jews in their warm house, which was furnished with a dining room table surrounded by straight back chairs, and they served us tea.  There were about 16 of them, all in their late 70s and older, and the men were wearing their World War II service medals, which they always do for visitors, as they're very proud of their service.  Through their non-Jewish Ukrainian translators, they spoke of their suffering during the war and after, and of course, now; life has been very hard, and even more uncertain for them, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.      
Selfless Lubovitchers   Nearby Chernobyl [spelled Cernobyl on map at right] was of course on everyone's mind. In speaking with Jewish Agency officials in Ukraine, I was impressed to learn that after the disaster, the Lubovitchers were the group least concerned about themselves, and most concerned about getting the kids away from there. During the aftermath of that horrific nuclear power plant disaster in 1986, these Hassidic Jews stood out in their selflessness.    

Editor's note:  The jump in thyroid cancer in children after the accident is one of its most tragic effects. Over 11,000 cases of such cancer

had been reported at the time of the UN press conference marking the 15th anniversary of the accident. That is "100 to 500 times the pre-Chernobyl rate, and the peak is not expected for another 30 years," said the coordinator of international cooperation on Chernobyl, Kenzo Oshima.    [See endnote on Chernobyl.]

Too few needy benefit:  We also met with elderly Ukrainians who were unable to leave their homes.  If it were not for the food packages that the Joint Distribution Committee provides six times a year to the elderly in Chernigov, they could barely manage on their $20 a month retirement check, a check that sometimes does not even come.  [Editor's note:  For perspective, consider that dinner in a Moscow restaurant in the early months of 2002 cost about $1.00, according to a recent visitor there.]

A shocking statistic is that of the half million Jewish elderly in the former Soviet Union, 300,000 are poor, undernourished and in need of medical attention.  Jewish assistance is provided to less than 25%; only 70,000 of the neediest Jewish throughout the FSU get Jewish assistance.  We need more money to help our brethren.  I was touched by the senior citizens we met, and by their gratefulness to us for the work of the Joint Distribution Committee.  I felt a sense of pride that a large portion of Federation dollars goes to support JAFI and the Joint Distribution Committee.

Anti-Semitism:  We were also left with a sense of anxiety: the economic situation in Ukraine borders on being desperate.  History tells us that Ukrainian nationals go after Jews during difficult economic times.  In Lvov, a flyer was sent to parents of children in Jewish Schools.  It said: ”Kikes…Clear Out from our Place…Very soon you will pay for everything you have done.”  While anti-Semitism is not currently rampant, the economic systems in the FSU cause great concern for the Jews that remain.

[See endnote for an anti-Semitism update on Ukraine and Russian Federation from the ADL (the  Anti-Defamation League), which has its national headquarters in NYC, and its Russian Federation branch office in Moscow.]

Above right: Anti-Semitic flyer is dated January 25, 1995. 
Source:  Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). 
Click here for translation.

From Ukraine to Israel While in Kiev, we invited three young people -- two Americans and one Israeli -- to travel with us.  They were all members of Amitim, which in Hebrew, means colleagues.  It is a program, started by the Atlanta Jewish Federation (and partially supported by the Nashville Federation), that selects outstanding college graduates to work in small Jewish communities in the FSU after a training period in Israel.  The conditions under which these young Jews work are comparable to working for the Peace Corps in a poor third world country.  As with many in the Peace Corps, the spirits of the Amitim volunteers are very high, for they have a deserved strong sense of accomplishment.  [See endnote for web address of Amitim page, which includes its lengthy form for applicants.]

Warm house concept  Back here at home, the needs are also great.  Our immigrant experiences and the fulfillment of the promise of the Statue of Liberty have permitted us to fully assimilate.  However, when homes are not Jewish, the children in them tend not to be Jewish either.  Your Federation supports Jewish education programs in all our congregations.  We support the Jewish Community Center to enable it to serve as a warm house for all of Nashville’s Jews.  Your Federation supports many programs at home and abroad.

Struggling to repair our world  Year in and year out we tell you our story about beneficiary agencies.  But this is not just historical data.  It is a living story.  Daily in every corner of the world, agencies that we help fund are working on behalf of the Nashville Jewish Federation and the Nashville Jewish community, struggling to repair our world.  They deserve our attention and our generous support.

To top