Gifted Boy Learns Love of Jewish Traditions at a Hesed

Egor, 8 years old, lives in Moldova with his grandmother, Lidiya, and great-grandmother Alexandra. He never knew his mother, who passed away while giving birth to him, and his father left the family soon thereafter. Two years ago, Alexandra, herself a client of Hesed —a JDC-sponsored initiative for the elderly—enrolled her great-grandson in the Mazel Tov program so that he, too, could benefit from the community's educational and recreational resources.

Since then, volunteers and teachers of Mazel Tov have nurtured Egor, helping him learn to read and write so that he could successfully enter his first level of school. With their encouragement, Egor has become an avid reader. He even keeps a dictionary on hand to look up any word he does not understand.

Outside of school, Egor enjoys dancing, drawing, playing chess, and learning English. Mazel Tov's volunteers and teachers observe that he is very gifted, and take pride in his accomplishments.

Egor attends Mazel Tov with his grandmother for Shabbat and holiday meetings. He has made many friends through the program, and has learned to embrace Jewish traditions and culture. He participates enthusiastically in all holiday celebrations, and is one of Hesed's favorite performers.

The Mazel Tov program also provides support to Egor's family through volunteer doctors, who monitor his health. In addition, Egor is enrolled in the "Let My Children Grow" program, which provides nourishment to youth through monthly food packages.

This summer, Egor and his family attended a Hesed sponsored family retreat outside of their city. It was Egor's first experience outside his hometown, and opened his eyes to new sights and friends.