While the coverage of the war in Ukraine is moving to the back pages, at JCC Global we continue to support and encourage the Jewish communities all over Ukraine and the region. To culminate the “TO LIFE” High Holidays moral campaign, we invite you to meet the unsung heroes from Ukraine and the region via zoom at a pre-Sukkot program:
Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. NY time/ 6:00 p.m. Israel time.
TO LIFE: JCC Global Celebrating the High Holidays with Ukraine and the region
Forty-six JCCs from around the world are getting ready to celebrate the High Holidays together as part of the “TO LIFE” JCC Global campaign.
The goal of the program is to meaningfully connect JCCs and extend moral support. The program connected in a meaningful way JCCs from 10 countries.
The response has been tremendous with JCCs planning joint zoom calls, filming video greetings, preparing colourful cards and engaging various age groups.
Congratulations to participating JCCs and may your global connections continue to blossom and grow.
For a list of participating JCCs click here.
For a sneak preview from Zaporozhe, Ukraine, click here.
Summer Programs at JCCs in Ukraine and the Region
Many JCCs in Ukraine and the region held day camps and overnight family camps that brought respite to hundreds of participants.
This is in addition to providing ongoing social and humanitarian aid. As the war lingers, the situation is getting worse. As the financial situation is getting worse, communities are witnessing a rise of "new poor", homes are destroyed and uncertainty has its mental toll. Still, the leaders of the Jewish communities and the JCCs are there- continuing to work around the clock with high hopes for a better future.
Earlier this year, thanks to several JCC Global board members, JCC Global was able to access significant funding to 9 JCCs in Ukraine and neighbouring countries: Hungary, Poland and Moldova. These funds were distributed during the spring and summer months and enabled a wide array of programs and services.
In Person Capacity Building Retreat in Belgrade
Caught in the middle of political strife and war, the post Holocaust Jews of Yugoslavia find themselves during the past several decades living in six different countries.
Adding to that the pandemic that prevented face to face meetings, it became even harder, in recent years, to maintain connections among the various small communities in the region. JCC Global was asked to utilize its global expertise in capacity building and network formation in order to help rejuvenate local programs and reignite the former Yugoslavia network of Jewish communities.
For that purpose, JCC Global, working hand in hand with its European partner ECJC, partnered with Haver Serbia to open a Dr. Mark Ramer JCC Global Hub. For the first time, the Hub goes beyond on line sessions to include an in-person retreat in Belgrade, November 25-27. The retreat is made possible thanks to a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest and a small allocation from JDC Europe
Some thirty Jewish leaders from 13 cities registered to the program representing: Belgrade, Novi Sad, Pancevo and Zrenjanin in Serbia, Banja Luka, Doboj and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Osijek, Rieka, Split and Zagreb in Croatia, Montenegro and Lubljana in Slovenia.
The online sessions thus far explored a wide array of topics, including:
Jewish Europe today – learning from research with JPR
“Big Tent” Judaism – best practices from 3 JCC leaders from Prague, Istanbul and Budapest
Community assets – identifying and concentrating on what’s good in each community as a leverage for future planning
Focus group findings – learning from the data collected from each community during the Hub as a way to help design a future strategy.
The Dr. Mark Ramer JCC Global Hubs 2023
We plan to open 3 new JCC Global Hubs in January of 2023: The World of Seniors in partnership with Jewish Care, UK, Jewish Peoplehood with the ANU museum and Tourism as a Growth Lever for the JCC in partnership with ECJC. Stay tuned for more information coming out soon.
In July, we concluded 5 Hubs with a wide scope of topics: Capacity training for Jewish Care, UK; Teen engagement with a focus on post pandemic recovery, Emerging JCCs Hub 2, Capacity training for Jewish communities in former Yugoslavia in partnership with Haver Serbia and Adam-Adamah in partnership with JNF. Each Hub was rich with content and networking opportunities. For a short glimpse, you are welcome to watch the Adam-Adamah wrap up video.
New Year Update on New JCCs
We are glad to share some exciting news from emerging JCCs in time for the new year:
Brighton, UK
BNJC- the Brighton & Hove Jewish Community is getting ready to open its doors very soon. It promises to revitalize the local Jewish community and to provide outstanding facilities and events for the entire city to enjoy. Right now, visitors are invited to take an in-person tour of the facility.
If you happen to be in the area, please contact Ashley Wolfe at ashley.woolfe@bnjc.co.uk.
Helena, Montana, USA
The Montana Jewish Project (MJP) finally closed on the sale of the former Temple Emanu-El in Helena with Roman Catholic Bishop Vetter. In addition to purchasing the majestic 1891 synagogue that served as Montana's first Jewish house of worship, MJP will be leasing the open yard next to the synagogue for community use. The Jewish community will be returning Temple Emanu-El to Jewish use for the first time in 87 years. Read the Jewish Telegraphic Agency article covering it.
Prague, Czech Republic
The new JCC Prague continues to provide innovative programming and is planning to begin the new year with a festive reception hosting Idan Raichel, Judafest celebration and lots of apples and honey. Watch JCC Prague video for Rosh Hashana.
