Groundbreaking of YESOD, the St. Petersburg Jewish Community Campus

Normally, there aren't a lot of smiles to be found on a cold Russian afternoon, but a sea of smiling faces were everywhere recently when the Jews of St. Petersburg celebrated the groundbreaking of the YESOD, the St. Petersburg Jewish Community Campus.

The local Jewish community, supported by JDC, has gathered their most influential members to sit on the YESOD Planning Committee. More than a building, it is expected that the YESOD Jewish Campus will become a cultural hub in one of Russia's flourishing Jewish communities.

Judy Weiss of Ohio, a JDC Board member was on hand to help celebrate the center's beginning. "This groundbreaking is a perfect metaphor for the re-emergence of Russian Jewry's cultural identity," said Weiss. "These people have waited so long for this chance to come together as Jews, as a Jewish community. It's wonderful to see it becoming a reality. I'm honored to be a part of it."

Alluding to the presence of Ms. Weiss and other Americans at the ceremony, Russian Jewish Congress President Eugeny Satanovsky, noted that as, "Jewish organizations in Russia become stronger, it is also important that they will take part in projects such as these together with American Jewry."

Notable guests at the ceremony included Mr. Shmuel Polischuk, The First Secretary of the Israeli Embassy in Russia, Head of Representative office of the State of Israel in St. Petersburg; Ms. Barbara Hay, British Consul General; Mr. Klecheski, USA Vice-Consul; Mr. Arkady Teplitsky, Vice-President of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Jewish Congress; Mr. Anatoly Pinski, Executive Vice-President of the Congress of Jewish Religious Communities of Russia - KEROOR (Moscow); Ms. Eugenia Mikhaleva, Country Director of Hillel for Russia (Moscow), and JAFI representatives.

Highlights of the ceremony included Baruch Finkelshtein, senior cantor of St. Petersburg and Moscow choral synagogues, singing a beautiful prayer, the Teh'ila children's choir presenting their rendition of Hallelujah and Kan Beiti ('My home is here').

The official ceremony was followed by concert of "Soloists of Saint Petersburg" chamber orchestra conducted by Prof. Michael Gantvarg, the Honored Artist of Russia (and YESOD Planning Committee member),