Feodosia Hesed Welcomes Public School Students for Jewish Learning

It has become a well-established tradition for the JDC-sponsored Hesed in Feodosia, Ukraine to host groups of high schools students with the purpose of teaching them about the Jewish community of Feodosia, its past and present, the active Jewish organizations and primarily with the Hesed itself and its welfare and communal programs that run on a regular basis for the 1,500 Jews residing in Feodosia.

Opened in October 2000, the Hesed regularly serves some 500 needy and elderly with vital support including hot meals, food packages, medications, winter relief, rehabilitation equipment and other services. In providing spiritual "food", there is Kabbalat Shabbat in the club and warm homes, arts and crafts, Jewish singing and dancing for all age groups, family retreats and library programs. The historical component is offered through the Hesed museum with 3 major exhibits: "2000 Years of History of Feodosian Jewry", "Feodosia Jews in World War II and the Holocaust", "Renewal of the Feodosia Community in the 20th Century" and "Outstanding Jewish Personalities of the City".

In addition to research conducted by the museum and Hesed activists, much emphasis has been placed on Holocaust studies, and one of its recent tangible results has been the unveiling of the Holocaust monument in the suburbs of Feodosia – a place where 2,000 Jews were executed during the war.

Both happy and sad pages of Jewish history should be shared with non-Jews, especially children – this is the opinion the Hesed staff tries to convey through various programming initiatives. Whether it is a joint summer retreat for German and Jewish children, or bringing students for tours of the Hesed – every project contributes to raising the younger generation in an atmosphere of ethnic tolerance and respect for other religions. "The way we meet a Ukrainian (Bulgarian, Greek, Tartar, Armenian, etc. – there are 12 ethnic communities in our city) in our home will determine how a Jew will then be met by this Ukrainian at his own place", says Hesed Director Elena.

In November 2003, 40 schoolchildren came to the Welfare and Community Center. There they learned about Tanakh, saw exhibits at the museum and discovered new city architecture (they did not know that two famous buildings downtown used to be a synagogue and Talmud Torah school).

The tour ended on a high and proud note – as stories of outstanding Jewish teachers and doctors, poets and writers ignited the interest of the children and their teachers.

Some of the notes below were left in the Hesed guest book after the tour:

"My feelings are rather mixed. On the one hand, I study violin at music school and was pleased to learn that many famous violinists were Jewish. On the other hand, I am sorry that Latvians like me do not have the same kind of community in Feodosia, where we could study our history and traditions".

"I know many Jewish children – they have been my friends since we all started going to the retreat this summer. I am German and go to a German club in our community. I am proud of being German but it is an incredible shame my people killed millions of Jewish people during the war. I hope that my generation will never be involved in such terrible actions, and the more people learn about the truth of Holocaust, the less indifferent they will be to what is going on now".