Through Acts of Loving Kindness,
a Kehilla is Reborn
As night falls on Russia’s interior, a crowd gathers in front of the Nizhniy-Novgorod
Art Museum. A new exhibition is opening, and a colorful assemblage anxiously
waits to gain entrance. For the many culturally inclined professionals who inhabit
Russia’s third-largest city, this is an exciting time.
In a different part of town, a renaissance of another sort is evolving, one
that also celebrates a renewal of the human spirit. Svetlana, the founder and
director of the local Hesed (Jewish welfare center), locks the door of
her beloved establishment and begins her walk home. The cool night air touches
her face and brings with it a smile of contentment. She and her spunky group
of volunteers have done it again. They have served warm food to the city’s hungry,
elderly Jews and brought crutches and canes to those who would otherwise be
homebound. Medicine was delivered to the sick. Comfort and companionship were
extended to the lonely. Another day at the Hesed is done.
"Every Jew needs a way to express his or her connection to God and to community,"
states Svetlana. "My job as director of the Hesed is not just work. It
is my family, and the Jewish community is my life."
At 60 years of age, when most are retiring, Svetlana is joyfully pursuing her
dream of rebuilding the city’s lost Jewish heritage. Through her tzedaka,
her charitable deeds, Nizhniy-Novgorod’s kehilla, or Jewish community,
is being reborn.
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