JDC Voices

This week’s Torah portion, Vaiera, reminds us of the power of the collective to tackle communal programs, Rabbi Joshua Mikutis writes.

For JDC archivist Abra Cohen, objects like a DP camp tallit or a scrapbook from wartime Shanghai help tell the story of JDC’s impact since 1914.

When the pandemic came, volunteer Valentina Limonova began recording a weekly Torah study lesson for the Jewish community of Kharkiv, Ukraine.

When Ruth Penan traveled to Moldova on a JDC staff study trip, she got to see the organization’s lifesaving work firsthand.

JDC homecare worker Nadezhda Borsch cares for vulnerable elderly Jews in Kyiv, Ukraine — something she sees as a responsibility and a calling.

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.

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.

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.