JDC Voices Blog

At Junction, Mike Mendoza helps power Europe’s Jewish future.

Rabbi Alex Braver reflects on his JDC Entwine trip to Jewish Argentina and what makes this community so strong and vibrant.

Israel Unlimited Director Efrat Stern discusses how JDC helps people with disabilities live full, independent lives.

On International Children’s Rights Day, Dr. Ariel Levy reflects on why caring for all of Israel’s children is so crucial.

Rachel Shapiro reflects on the resilience of Bulgarian Jewish life and how Simchat Torah gives Jews everywhere a chance to start anew.

When the Ukraine crisis began, Bistra Titeva took her calling as a hospitality professional even more seriously: She and her husband opened their home to a family seeking shelter.

Ahead of Sukkot, Rabbi Evan Sheinhait reflects on the mishkan — the mobile tabernacle the Israelites built in the desert — and connects it to the Jewish community of Bulgaria.

In this column, Sarita Robinson reflects on her own experiences, the Book of Proverbs, and how community organizing can be transformational when we intentionally create the space to ask questions and listen.

For Nikita Perunov, head of JDC’s teen club in Chișinău, Moldova, Elul — along with the High Holidays that will soon follow — is a chance to reinvest in his community’s future.

As Rabbi Fernanda Tomchinsky-Galanternik prepares for the High Holidays, she’s focusing on the Jewish values of avodah, Torah, and gemilut hasadim.

On a recent trip to Romania, rabbinical student Emma Dubin was moved by the the warmth and diversity of the country’s Jewish community — qualities she connects to Elul’s Psalm 27.

Two young Jewish leaders in the Baltics share their love story — and how it all began at a JDC-supported summer camp.

For Weitzman-JDC Fellow Karen Martin, Tisha B’Av is a time to reflect on a difficult past — and her hopes for a vibrant Jewish future.

This Weitzman-JDC Fellow put her Jewish values into action when Ukraine broke out in war.

For Rabbi Alejandro Bloch, Passover is a time to strengthen Jewish life in Santiago, Chile.

For these two women, Passover is a call to serve their communities.

For Lela Sadikaro, Women’s History Month is a chance to empower Jewish women across Europe.

For JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps Fellow Rachel Mitchell, living in Israel feels like coming home.

As Purim approaches, Diana Glikman reflects on the values that power her work in Riga’s Jewish community.

For Purim, Julio Gutkind reflects on the importance of Jewish life and institutions in Santa Fe, Argentina.

We sit down with Doron Shapir, the 2022 JDC Entwine Ralph I. Goldman (RIG) Fellow, to talk about his background and hopes for the coming year.

When Slavyan Kanovsky attended Camp Szarvas, the JDC-Ronald S. Lauder Foundation international Jewish summer camp in Hungary, he discovered a vibrant Jewish world.

In this Q&A with Susana Santana Said, a 23-year-old sociology graduate from Havana, Cuba, “Susi” discusses Jewish community life in her hometown, her passion for rikudim (Israeli folk dance), and the special message of Chanukah.

Chanukah is a time to celebrate the hope and resilience of Jews everywhere. In this spirit, we bring you these Chanukah reflections from around the JDC world.

As Chanukah approaches, Ery Pervulescu reflects on what this holiday can teach us about building Jewish community, as well as his own development as a leader.

At the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Tallinn, Irina Shlick is helping to build Estonia’s Jewish future.

In this reflection, Alejandra Mizrahi and Valeria Nahmias, two Jewish educators in Argentina, discuss the timeless Jewish values at the heart of Chanukah.

Irina Stvolova, a JDC volunteer in Kyrgyzstan, talks about what Chanukah looks like in her native city of Bishkek, and what lessons this holiday can teach us in pandemic times.

Born and raised in Morocco’s Jewish community, Dorith Benmoha discusses the history, beauty, and strength of her community.

As the director of Yesod, Dani Serlin is empowering the best and brightest professionals to lead Jewish Europe into the future.

Miriam Bader, a JDC Entwine leader, writes about the meaning of Simchat Torah and the values that guide JDC life.

Yom Kippur offers a chance to reflect on the ways Jews belong to each other and hold each other accountable, rabbinical student Sammy Kanter writes.

As we head into the High Holiday season, Sarah Tagger, this year’s JDC Entwine Ralph I. Goldman (RIG) Fellow, reflects on her work cultivating Jewish life in Dubai.

This Elul, the month that precedes the High Holy Days, JDC staff member Izzy Sakhaie reflects on the meaning of introspection, and why helping others also means helping ourselves.

For Izya Kravchenko, the Hebrew month of Elul is a chance to reflect on how every Jew can work to power their community forward.

What does it mean to be a Jewish leader? In this reflection, three JDC Entwine Ralph I Goldman (RIG) fellows discuss the qualities that define Jewish leadership.

Last year, Ashley Amar had to miss a planned JDC Entwine “Inside Jewish Morocco” trip. But that wasn’t the end of the story.

Growing up, Dasha Dolgova encountered JDC each day. But it wasn’t until she was older that she joined the organization that had given her family so much.

In this reflection, cantorial student Sam Rosen discusses the notion of “public grief” and how his travels with JDC Entwine have deepened his understanding of Tisha B’Av.

As head of her local Active Jewish Teens (AJT) chapter, Ilona Levit, reflects on how AJT educates and empowers young Jews across the former Soviet Union.

What makes LGBTIQ* inclusion a Jewish value? Dalia Grinfeld, a leading advocate for LGBTIQ* Jews in Germany, has the answer.

A year into quarantine, JDC-Weitzman Fellow Aaron Torop discovered a digital Jewish world that spanned the globe.

This Father’s Day, we interview two families who participate in a father-son program in Kyiv, Ukraine.

For the past number of years, Jarod Rhine-Davis has been leading a dialogue that seeks to bridge the LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities. For Pride Month, we speak to Rhine-Davis about this valuable work.

As Shavuot approaches, JDC volunteer Ishai Sinelnikov reflects on his work in local Jewish cemeteries.

Across the former Soviet Union, Active Jewish Teens (AJT) FreeDom – a pilot program which works to integrate Jewish teens with special needs – is breaking down stereotypes, building connections and creating community.

For Jewish educator Rabbi David Levin-Kruss, a monthly study circle was a chance to strengthen global Jewish connections even during the pandemic.

When JDC Entwine’s Andrew Belinfante visited Nepal in 2018, he reflected on the challenges and opportunities of inhabiting a different culture.

What does holiness look like? Jamie Field, a second-year Weitzman-JDC Fellow, found the answer to this question in Jerusalem.

For JDC volunteer Alla Krishtal in Poltava, Ukraine, Earth Day is a chance to both remember her family’s history and write the next chapter of her own Jewish story.

Dan Brotman’s trips with JDC Entwine — to India, Nepal, and virtually to Morocco — have given him a master class in global Jewish resilience, offering lessons he plans to apply to his Canadian Jewish life.

This week’s Torah portions, Tazria-Metzora, speak of collective healing from trauma. For rabbinical student Aaron Blasband, virtual experiences with JDC Entwine provided a toolkit for processing the pandemic.

What can the elderly teach us about Passover? Educator and youth coordinator Grigoriy Morozov reflects on the importance of intergenerational education during the Passover season.

For Venezuelan Jewish educator Raquel Markus-Finckler, Passover is a chance to connect her community’s journey to the ancient story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.

Passover is a time to celebrate Jewish freedom and resilience. In this spirit, we bring you these Passover reflections from around the JDC world.

For JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps Fellow Reva Gorelick, living in Dubai is a chance to discover the true meaning of Jewish community.

What does Passover teach us? Niki Novák, a unit head at Camp Szarvas and staff member at JCC Budapest – Bálint Ház, reflects on what lessons this story imparts to us today.

For Murmansk teen Anton Artemenko, this week’s Torah portion of Vayikra connects to his work building Jewish life in the world’s northernmost Jewish community.

Shoshana Weiner didn’t know that her trip to Europe would culminate three generations of Jewish history. But stepping off a bus in Poland, she meets the family who made her Jewish journey possible.

Jill Rubin didn’t expect to find family in India. But a JDC Entwine trip, and an unexpected encounter along the way, changed her life.

Lisa Gurko discovered her passion when she joined her local chapter of Active Jewish Teens (AJT). For Jewish Disabilities Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), we’re spotlighting her story.

Growing up under communist rule in 1970s Budapest, Hungarian Jewish educator Zsuzsa Fritz knew there were things she just couldn’t talk about. Now, the themes of Purim give her a framework to explore her family’s history.

When Riki Aridan began working with educators in historic Djerba, she found teachers committed to innovating Tunisian Jewish girls’ education.

When rabbinical student Joshua Jacobs traveled to Tomsk, Russia to lead JDC’s Siberian bar/bat mitzvah program, he discovered miracles ‘… such as has never been or will ever be again.’

While on a trip to the Caucasus with JDC Entwine, Rabbi Sarah Berman discovered the importance of food in bringing communities together and helping Jews in need.

Havdalah is a chance not just to transition out of Shabbat but also our own power to create and build community, JDC Entwine’s Rabbi Joshua Mikutis writes.

When Sarah Allen was 26, she traveled to Russia and danced with a stranger at a Passover seder in Tver — an encounter that continues to inspire her today.

Now living in Spain, rabbinical student Becky Jaye describes how she’s found comfort and community in the country’s Jewish history.

In tracking down recipes for draniki, the Belarusian potato pancake, JDC’s Marina Gatskan discovers powerful story of Jewish community revival.

Jewish educator Maxim Delchev reflects on the story of Joseph and his brothers, connecting it to JDC’s role in the Bulgarian Jewish community.

When Kathy Kanter took a family heritage trip to Belarus, she found herself forging even deeper connections to her global Jewish family.

Rabbi Jesse Paikin connects Parashat Vayishlach to the importance of travel in expanding our worldview — something he learned in the Caucasus with JDC Entwine.

Living and working in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Jewish educator Artem Okun is committed to building a Jewish future in the former Soviet Union.

For Anna Okshevskaya, JDC’s Active Jewish Teens (AJT) youth movement is a chance to chart the course of her own Jewish journey.

This week’s Torah portion, Toldot, speaks of the dangers of silence and the necessity of speaking up, AJTorah counselor Misha Basin writes.

There’s a power to communal gatherings, even in the age of COVID-19. That’s what makes an upcoming virtual summit of European Jewish leaders so critical.

Jewish text and tradition has much to offer us in this digital age, SHIUR founder Micki Weinberg writes.

For JDC Board Member Susan Knapp, virtual missions are a chance to engage with the global Jewish community even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic demands action, and looking to this week’s Torah portion of Vayera can provide a helpful model for how to help, writes Ariel Kleiner, a Brazilian rabbi.

When Rabbi Zsolt Balla discovered Camp Szarvas, he found a place that would help him grow but still stay true to himself.

The Biblical story of Noah can teach us how to adapt to moments where we feel subject to forces beyond our control, says Rabbi Ari Sigal, a Kaplan Leadership Fellow in Chile.

For Andras Paszternák, his large collection of camp T-shirts is a way to show his love for Szarvas, the JDC-Ronald S. Lauder Foundation international Jewish summer camp in Hungary.

Growing up, Kaja never knew she was Jewish. Now she serves as the Warsaw JCC’s teen coordinator, educating the next generation of Polish Jews.

When Sarah Herman got connected with JDC, she realized the organization was already part of her family’s post-Holocaust Jewish journey. Now, through travel, she’s found Jewish community around the world.

As a JDC Entwine Jewish Service Corps Fellow in Helsinki, Jake Berger discovered the joy of the Simchat Torah hakafot celebration. This year, with communal celebration impossible, he considers the meaning of the tradition.

As the director of the JDC-supported Jewish Family Service in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Irina Oksenenko is building her community’s future by helping children in need. Thanks to the Kaplan Leadership Initiative, she has the training to do it.

In the midst of a year of crisis, Brazilian Rabbi and Kaplan Leadership Fellow Ari Oliszewski considers what it means to be truly rich.

Andrew Williams learned about community and responsibility when he volunteered with JDC Entwine in Kharkiv in 2018-2019. When the pandemic struck, he jumped at the chance to continue volunteering, this time virtually.

In honor of Shabbat Shuvah (the ‘Shabbat of Repentance’ between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), Camp Szarvas Program Director Mina Pasajlic asks us to look forward toward new beginnings.

For a Yom Kippur unlike any other, Taryn Silver brings the Yizkor memorial service home, sharing her grandparents’ story of surviving the Holocaust and journeying to Australia. It’s one that inspired her to explore Jewish Europe and brought her back to her hometown of Melbourne.

In this final Elul reflection, JDC-Europe’s director of Jewish education considers three Jewish lessons we can take from the coronavirus pandemic.

Blanka Nicevic found her Jewish identity at Camp Szarvas. When COVID-19 hit her home of Sarajevo, her camp experience inspired her to help her community.

Active Jewish Teens — powered by partnerships with BBYO and Genesis Philanthropy Group — has become masterful at developing ways to attract and inspire Jewish teens in the former Soviet Union. But since the coronavirus pandemic began, it’s had to shift everything online.

When Rabbi Joshua Mikutis traveled to Cochin to visit its Jewish community, he encountered both the commonalities and differences that make the global Jewish experience so meaningful.

When mindfulness teacher Martin Schubert discovered his virtual meditation session had been ‘zoombombed,’ he turned to Jewish traditions for support.

Three years ago, Leonid Rud was afraid of being Jewish. Now, he’s the co-president of Active Jewish Teens, a network that reaches more than 3,200 Jewish teens in 63 cities across the former Soviet Union.

For Rebeka Mucheva, a summer at Camp Szarvas was her first step toward becoming a Jewish leader in both her home of North Macedonia and the global Jewish community.

In Jewish tradition, Elul — the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah — is a particularly sacred time of preparation for the new year. To commemorate its start, rabbinical student Rachel Simmons explores a verse from Song of Songs.

For Benjamin Fischer, reconciling his German and Jewish identities has been a lifelong project. Fortunately, JDC has been there to help.

Maria Kos of the Warsaw JCC shares how she brings Jewish cooking to her community, even when it has to happen over Zoom.

For Tu B’Av, we share the love story of two young Moldovan Jewish people whose romance was interwoven with their participation in and leadership of the JDC-supported Jewish community of B?l?i.

In the spirit of Tu B’Av, we share Hanga and Szoszo’s story of finding love at Camp Szarvas, the JDC-Ronald S. Lauder Foundation international Jewish summer camp in Hungary.

In honor of Tisha B’Av, Rabbi Joshua Mikutis reflects on a trip to Latvia that brought him face-to-face with Latvian Jews’ tragic history and hopeful future.

As a counselor for JDC’s Active Jewish Teens program in Tbilisi, Duka Kakiashvili is helping build the next generation of young Jewish leaders — alongside his mother.

JDC Entwine’s Ralph I. Goldman Fellow considers what he’s learned since the Coronavirus pandemic began through the lens of Ralph I. Goldman’s own words.

The Jewish community in Sofia, Bulgaria accomplished something incredible — opening their own Jewish day school. But just as they found their sea legs, the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Sasha Gutenberg, Hillel director in Novosibirsk, Russia, writes about how the Kaplan Leadership Initiative has empowered her to join an international community of young leaders who are building the Jewish future.

The CEO of the Organization of Jews in Bulgaria reflects on how COVID-19 has brought her community together, even as they’ve been forced to remain apart.

For the past few years, the Leeds Jewish Community has been building structures for community resilience. Now, in a pandemic, they’re putting their preparations to use and rising to the challenge.

One JDC staffer reflects on the lessons that are guiding her through the coronavirus crisis.

23-year-old JDC Entwine Community Representative Ana Omelchuk reflects on a journey to find her Jewish community that took her from Kiev to Tel Aviv with stops in Nepal and Argentina.

This Passover will be unlike any before, but you can make the most of it by introducing some new traditions to your already-unusual celebration.

How Yulia Zhigailova found her place in a new community by kickstarting its volunteerism movement.

Arin Kahan’s trip to Ukraine was a chance to see the work her father is so passionate about, and see her father in a new light.

We talked to newly elected Active Jewish Teens Co-Presidents, Irina Kozak of Kharkov, Ukraine and Leonid Rud of St. Petersburg, Russia about their new roles, their personal connections to their Jewish heritage, and what they hope to accomplish as leaders within the AJT community.

On September 13th, JDC Entwine and OneTable brought young Jews in eight cities together for a Global Shabbat Experience that combined the personal with the global.

We sat down with the Imagine More co-chairs — Jayne Lipman, Michele Rosen, and Susie Stern — to find out what motivates them and why they’re so passionate about women’s issues and JDC.?

In this Q&A, Ilia Salita of Genesis Philanthropy Group shares his thoughts on the Russian-speaking Jews, philanthropy, and the future of the global Jewish community.

In Minsk, volunteers proved again that it doesn’t take much to give back. Whether by contributing your time, skills, or money, you can make a difference in someone’s life starting today.

This Passover, we invite you to bring some of the global Jewish community’s traditions to your Seder table.

For his bar mitzvah project, Jax Zemachson wanted to honor his mother and best friend.

When you think of famous stars who forever changed music like Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, do you also think of the Babylonian Talmud? If not, after reading about the various Jewish activities that just happened at the “Rock, Reggae, and Rebellious Royals: The Rhythms of Jewish Life as Seen through the Rhythms of Popular Song” international youth seminar, from March 15-18, in Timisoara, Romania, you just might.

From February 28 to March 1, vibrant festivals and events will be held globally to commemorate Purim, the holiday that recounts the heroic efforts of Mordecai and Esther, the twosome who foiled Haman’s evil plan to kill the Jews in the ancient Persian Empire.

As one of the few American participants, I felt a special bond and closeness with these amazing young people and their journey, which is far from over.

The support of American Jews, at this crucial times are so needed and so greatly appreciated by those of us who understand well the realities – both the challenges and the opportunities – in Hungary right now.

This past weekend marked Lag B’Omer, the thirty-third day of the Omer, a light-hearted Jewish holiday that marks a break in the mourning customs associated with the counting of the seven-week period from Passover to Shavuot. Jews traditionally celebrate the holiday with outings, bonfires, weddings, and other community ceremonies.

We left Moscow at the crack of dawn this morning and headed out for a trek to the edge of Siberia to a town called Yekaterinburg. There are about 62,000 Jews in this rural central region of Russia, which comprises about 20% of Russia’s territory. This includes some 11,000 elderly Jews (many of whom are Holocaust survivors) that JDC supports with food, shelter, and medical assistance. JDC is also active in helping organize and sustain the Jewish community, including a variety of youth programs

Despite many challenges, including anti-Semitism and the rise of extremist nationalist groups, many Jews in Hungary are proud to express their Jewishness and we can support them and learn from their experiences.

I’m so proud to be co-chairing JDC’s Passover Journey Campaign, which gives us Board members an opportunity to share with our networks our passion for the lifesaving work JDC carries out around the globe.

Despite challenges like anti-Semitism, far-right political extremism, and terrorism, European Jewish communities celebrated Purim with pride.

Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish Arbor Day occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat, is known for its various rituals like eating a new fruit on this day, conducting a special Seder, and eating from the seven species (shivat haminim) such as– wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates –that originally grew in Israel.

Some 600 people converged on Odessa, Ukraine, on Feb. 5 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city’s Migdal Jewish Community – the first JCC in the former Soviet Union (FSU).

The four-hour celebration’s guests included leaders of the city and region’s Jewish organizations, local rabbis, former and current JCC members, staff, volunteers, and families.

I can’t say I’ve ever spent much time thinking about Jewish Bulgaria, past or present. But if I had, I probably would have made the following assumptions based on what I thought I knew about Eastern Europe: (1) Bulgarian Jews were Ashkenazi; (2) they were shomer Shabbos (Shabbat-observant); (3) Their community was decimated by the Nazis, with plenty of assistance from local anti-Semites; (4) Those few who survived immediately set about rebuilding their cultural and religious Jewish lives.