Sunflowers: Voices of Ukraine - A New Podcast Launch Amid Ongoing Resilience
- JCC Global
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Dear friends,
In these days, as the war in Ukraine continues to shape daily life in profound ways, we are proud to share a new initiative that brings voices from within these realities to the world.
At the same time, we continue to stand closely with our partner communities - not only in moments of crisis, but through the ongoing work, partnerships, and stories that emerge from within them.
Sunflowers: Voices of Ukraine
We are proud to share the first episode of “Sunflowers: Voices of Ukraine” - a powerful new podcast created through a "JCC Global - From Good to Great" partnership.
This 10-part series, with new episodes released every two weeks, brings firsthand accounts from Ukrainians living through war in Dnipro, as well as from refugees rebuilding their lives in Krakow and Brooklyn.
This partnership connects:
JCC Solomonika, Dnipro, Ukraine
JCC Krakow, Krakow, Poland
Edith and Carl Marks JCH of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, NY, USA
This is already the second joint project of this partnership - following their impactful tutoring initiative connecting students across these communities.
🌻 The sunflower, Ukraine’s national flower, symbolizes resilience, hope, and a constant turning toward the light - a fitting image for the voices shared in this podcast.
This project was made possible thanks to the support of JFNA.
Standing with Zaporizhzhia
Last week, the JCC in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, led by Inesa Nosenko, was severely damaged. During working hours, while their programs were taking place, a heavy Shahed drone strike damaged the JCC building.
Windows were shattered, parts of the building were damaged, and the space that serves as a daily anchor for the community has been significantly affected. Miraculously, no one was physically injured - but the emotional impact on staff, volunteers, and community members is profound.
This attack took place as part of a broader wave of strikes across Ukraine. Just last week, a large-scale overnight attack included hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, impacting cities across the country — including Kyiv, Dnipro, and Odesa, where civilians were killed and injured.
Despite everything, the JCC continues to operate - providing support, connection, and a sense of stability to those who need it most.
Inesa shared: “In moments when there is fear, uncertainty, and loss of stability, it is the feeling that you are not alone that gives strength to move forward…”
Even now, community members continue to come to the JCC seeking warmth, connection, and a sense of stability - and the team is doing everything they can to remain there for them.
At the same time, the situation has created urgent psychosocial needs among children, parents, and elderly members of the community. We will share ways to support their recovery efforts in the coming days.
Voices Across Generations
As part of another "JCC Global - From Good to Great" partnership, participants from Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, together with their partners in JCC Budapest, Hungary, and Mandel JCC Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA, created a film based on interviews with Holocaust survivors.
The project brought together survivors and high school students across three countries - creating meaningful dialogue across generations and across borders.
The result is a shared narrative that connects memory, identity, and lived experience - shaped both by the past and by the realities communities face today.
Watch the film, which was screened in all three partner communities:
In Ukraine, our communities continue to show extraordinary resilience - creating, remembering, and supporting one another in the face of ongoing challenges.
As we recently marked Israel’s Independence Day - a moment that reminds us of the meaning of resilience, community, and hope - we are reminded how deeply these values are shared across our global network.
Even in the most difficult times, communities continue to choose connection, to build, and to look toward the future.
Thank you for standing with them, and for being part of this global network.
JCC Global
