Roslyn Z. Wolf Cleveland - JDC Fellows Begin to Make Their Mark at YESOD in St. Petersburg

Alyson and Matt, newlyweds from Washington DC, started their married life halfway around the world in a new city, with a new language and a new role. As the first couple to receive the Roslyn Z. Wolf Cleveland - JDC Fellowship, they were recently "deployed" to Russia to work out of YESOD -- St. Petersburg's Jewish community center.

The Roslyn Z. Wolf Cleveland - JDC Fellowship was established in memory of Roslyn Z. Wolf, a Trustee for Life of the Cleveland Federation whose many decades of active and loving service helped improve the lives of thousands of Jews and continues to motivate volunteers. This Fellowship which began in 2004 is an addition to the JDC Jewish Service Corps which was established in 1987 and has sent some 100 American young adult volunteers to 12 different Jewish communities around the world - from several republics of the former Soviet Union to Romania, India and Turkey. Each volunteer has made a distinct mark on the community they served.

While still stateside, Alyson explained how the couple planned to approach their work abroad. "We have to be flexible and go with what the community wants and needs. We have to make sure that when we leave, our programs continue" They intend to make use of their combined professional experience in marketing and Jewish education.

Below is an excerpt from a "journal" the couple is keeping to document how their work and lives are evolving in St. Petersburg. They have just hit the three month mark and have acculturated to life in St. Petersburg and are continuing to invest 8 hours a week in Russian language. Alyson and Matt’s lives are full and inspired by their growing connection to the Jewish community in St. Petersburg.

Productive in Petersburg
We are now beyond the adjustment phase and really swimming in work. As we’ve begun to feel more comfortable in this environment, we’ve carved out individual roles for ourselves in the community and taken on personalized assignments. For example, Matt continues to tutor Adain Lo students every Tuesday afternoon at one of the local Jewish day schools. Every Monday night, Alyson facilitates an English Club for young adults at YESOD, open to the entire community. The program draws about a dozen participants from various organizations (Petersburg Institute for Jewish Studies, Hillel, and Adain Lo). Each week, the Club members read an article about one facet of Israeli society and discuss the nuances of Israeli, American, and Russian culture.

Reflecting on this community’s diverse demographics, our work truly covers the entire Jewish life cycle as we focus on children, young adults, and the elderly. In regards to children, we are both teaching English and Jewish tradition at the EVA Community Center’s Sunday school. Alyson teaches two groups of 5-8 year olds and one group of 9-12 year olds, while Matt teaches three groups of 15-20 year olds. The youngest groups are just learning the fundamentals of the English language: how to count, the ABCs, colors, shapes, etc. The middle group is learning about Jewish holidays and stories from the Bible/Tanach. The older groups delve into Jewish topics and values, as expressed in modern music; thus far, we’ve listened to Israeli love songs, American country music, and even talked about Russian hip-hop music. Moreover, we contributed to the Adain Lo weeklong fall children’s retreat by teaching Jewish tradition through English. As the camp progressed, we also helped organize sports activities, evening programs, and served as informal role models for the children. During that week we also survived our first Russian snowstorm!

Likewise, we have launched initiatives and partnered with local community organizations to better serve these target populations. For example, we created a joint program between Hesed and Hillel called "Malachai Shabbat," meaning Angels of Shabbat. Once a month, on a Friday afternoon, Hillel students join us to visit a far-flung Hesed client and help them celebrate Shabbat. Together, we light candles, say Kiddush, eat challah, and sing songs. This program has definitely been one of the highlights of our work thus far, as the positive impact on the Hillel students and Hesed clients is both visible and palpable. In mid-November, we teamed up with Hillel to lead "Amerikansky Shabbat," which infused Hillel’s weekly Friday night service with American spirit, tunes, and even cuisine: bagels, cream cheese, and homemade chocolate chip cookies!

Another exciting piece of our work is helping the JDC foster and strengthen relationships with its international partners. Through the YESOD Visitors Center (YVC), we have given tours and hosted missions for over 40 people, including Federation missions from Hartford, CT; Cleveland, OH; Palm Beach, FL; and the Tidewater region of Virginia.

On the Horizon
The next few months will be extremely busy for us. We will continue to develop the YESOD website and expand the YESOD Visitors Center. In mid-December, we have invited most of the community’s Jewish professionals and lay leadership to our home for a big Chanukah party. We are also continuing to develop our Judaism-through-English curriculum, leading sessions at two of the JDC-sponsored weeklong winter children’s camps in late December and early January. Just after camp, we are off to Israel to "thaw out" and recharge our batteries at the JDC Jewish Service Corps midyear seminar.

In the spring, we will coordinate the annual Passover Project; this weeklong seminar connects Israeli, American and Russian young adults as they lead Passover Seders for those who cannot conduct their own in and around St. Petersburg.

As we take on new projects and contribute to existing ones, we are finding our work in St. Petersburg to be meaningful and inspiring.