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July 21, 2006
A renewal of Jewish community
In 12 years, the chief rabbi of Ukraine's Donbass region has witnessed
much growth.
KAREN GINSBERG
Donetsk, Ukraine
While preparing for my first trip to Ukraine early this summer,
I searched the Internet for information on contemporary Jewish life
there. I was particularly pleased to learn that there was a Jewish
community in Donetsk, the centre of the Donbass region near the
Russian border, where my husband, coincidentally, had interviews
to conduct for his work. While he did that, I took the opportunity
to sit down with the region's chief rabbi, Pinchas Vishedski.
The first thing that strikes you about the rabbi is the warmth of
his welcome. He was only too glad of an opportunity to provide a
perspective on Jewish life in the Donbass region and was quick to
tell me that most Jews in the Diaspora think that Ukrainian Jews
are "on their way elsewhere" – to Israel, North America
or Europe – and that they view themselves as "passing
through" Ukraine. While that may have been true in another
time, today, for many Jews, the question is closed. It is possible
to have a rich and full Jewish life in almost any corner of the
country and, according to Vishedski, most Jews are remaining in
Ukraine. He and his wife, Dina, are a case in point.
Both are Israeli born and were asked to come to Donetsk 12 years
ago to help build a fuller, more dynamic Jewish community. Arriving
with two of their now six children, Rabbi Vishedski remembers that,
when they first arrived, there was little to support Jewish life
and learning. He recalled reading the Megillah in synagogue that
first Purim – only his wife made noise to drown out the sound
of Haman's name. The couple were sure that other synagogue attendees
had no idea what Dina was doing, why she was making such a fuss.
Today, said the rabbi, there has been so much learning about Jewish
practice that some of his congregants arrive for Purim with ear
muffs to soften the cacophony of noise that will be forthcoming
and that the offerings of shalach manot (Purim gift baskets)
among community members are overwhelming.
At present, there are 5,500 families affiliated with the Beit Menachem
Mendel Synagogue, with many more in the community who are unaffiliated.
Under Vishedski's leadership, several other institutions to support
Jewish life have been built. For example, now there is the opportunity
for all children to receive a good Jewish education: there is a
kindergarten, a day school and a cheder (class) that goes
up to the 11th grade. For further religious study, there are yeshivot
either in Moscow or Israel.
Several years ago, the community undertook to build a dormitory
for Jewish orphans in the region. After negotiations with the government
of Ukraine, these children, some as young as four years old, were
removed from state institutions and brought to Donetsk, where they
could be provided with the essentials - food, clothing and education.
More importantly, their arrival in Donetsk meant that they could
be embraced by the Jewish community and raised in a Jewish family
setting. Vishedski told me with pride that the first two of these
orphans are to start university in the fall.
In order to ensure the availability of kosher foods at prices the
community can afford, Dina Vishedski proudly told me that her husband
has negotiated with several Ukrainian food manufacturers to change
their processes in order to meet kosher obligations. Immediately
adjacent to the synagogue, there is a store filled with kosher meats,
poultry, cheeses, cereals, jams, wines, cookies and special chocolate
for the children. (And, with the generosity befitting a young rebbetzin,
I left with a full bag of sweets to taste.)
More recently, Rabbi Vishedski has negotiated with the mayor of
Donetsk for land on which to create a new cemetery. Donetsk's original
Jewish cemetery has been full for many years and, until this agreement,
Jews were being buried in a corner of the broader community's cemetery.
Along with the setting aside of land, a chevra kadisha (burial
society) has been created to ensure that every mitzvot (divine
commandment) related to death and dying can be honored. As a sign
of how much the general community has learned about Jewish practice,
the rabbi told me that, at the recent funeral of the father of a
prominent Jewish man, many non-Jews who attended it asked to wear
a kippah so as to show proper respect.
The Beit Menachem Mendel Synagogue itself holds several hundred
in its sanctuary. Elsewhere in the building are two or three classrooms,
a gift store and administrative offices. Adjacent to the synagogue
is a kosher restaurant and community soup kitchen, which seats about
75 – I am told that it is always full for its twice daily meals.
Upstairs, there is a room to make a small kiddush. Beside this building
is a large, beautiful, new community mikvah (ritual bath), where
four women simultaneously can undertake their preparations in an
almost spa-like setting.
As well, within a month, a brand new four-storey Jewish community
centre will open in Donetsk. The centre will have more classrooms,
a library, an area for nursery-age children, meeting rooms, social
halls and a gymnasium.
But, more than building the physical attributes of the community,
Rabbi Vishedski is centred on building a knowledge and love of Judaism.
His special focus is youth. With the support of Israeli and Brazilian
philanthropists, he has created a new program that he refers to
as STARS. Currently, he has 85 adolescents studying five hours a
week to learn Jewish history, the important tenets that underpin
Judaism, the mitzvot, the Jewish calendar, holiday celebrations
and synagogue skills – he refers to these subjects in total
as the "tool kit" he would like each child to have.
In response to a question about what Diaspora Jews could do to help
his community, Vishedski made three suggestions. There is still
an unimaginable level of poverty among some Jews, he said. Twelve
years after his arrival, he is still learning of personal situations
that cry out for help, but are beyond his present means to remedy.
As well, he said he would be grateful for any assistance to make
a summer camp experience possible for the many Jewish youth in the
region for whom, even at very modest rates, this experience is not
financially feasible. Finally, he spoke passionately about his desire
to record the oral history of the region's Jews before those who
know the stories pass away. With the rise of anti-Semitism in many
parts of Europe, Vishedski said that it is all the more crucial
that the important lessons of the past not be forgotten. He said
he would like to see an exhibit created in every part of Donbass,
built from memorabilia documenting Jewish life in the area.
As for his relationship with the political powers of Ukraine, Vishedski
said his main government contact is with the mayor and he characterized
their relationship as excellent. Proof of that was soon forthcoming,
as Vishedski gently concluded our interview by telling me that he
was expected for lunch at the mayor's office – the president
of Ukraine was in Donetsk for the day.
Karen Ginsberg is a freelance writer living in Ottawa.
Donbass Airlines opened daily two-and-a-half-hour direct flights
from Donetsk to Tel-Aviv this spring and they also operate thrice-daily
one-hour direct flights from Kiev to Donetsk. Any congregation or
individual that wishes to contribute to Donetsk's Jewish community
can contact Vishedski by e-mail at [email protected].
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