JDC Voices

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.

When coronavirus hit Moldova, Katya Rybak had an idea: Her family could use their restaurant to cook for elderly Jews who could no longer leave their homes.

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.

When Covid-19 transformed her family life and her geriatric rehabilitation work, Amanda Klahr found ways to make the challenges into opportunities.

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.

Former JDC employee and ThinkPink founder Nela Hasic shares how coronavirus has changed the work of fighting breast cancer but leaves her hopeful for the future.

In honor of World Refugee Day, we share the story of Meri Zegelman, an Internally Displaced Person in Ukraine, who has become a vital member of her new home community in Kharkiv. Plus one of her recipes!

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.

One JDC staff member reflects on how the coronavirus pandemic has given her new insight into the plight faced by the elderly Jews in the former Soviet Union that JDC serves.

Bires Gashu used to be mocked for his spinal deformity. Here, he shares the story of his long trek to receive live-changing care from Dr. Rick Hodes.