White Nights in the Forest

I had the privilege to spend this past week with a group of two dozen young professionals who work or volunteer in the Jewish community. They are part of a Jewish leadership development program in eastern and northern Ukraine known as Metsuda. The seminar took place an hour outside Dnepropetrovsk at a retreat center called Lesnoy, which means forest in Russian.

This program was the last of four week-long seminars that these professionals participated in during the course of the year. The participants were selected from nearly 100 who attended a preliminary program last January. It is the most expensive program that JDC operates in the region. With various experts and lecturers, they learn leadership and management skills as well as Jewish traditions. They learn how to use their skills to take a more active role in their Jewish community.

The participants work or volunteer with a variety of Jewish agencies including the JCC, Hesed Welfare Centers and Hillel. As a side note, you should know that the average monthly salary for these professionals ranges from $150-250/month which is not uncommon for young Ukrainians.

Before Metsuda, many told me they were lost personally or professionally. Some had only recently found out they were Jewish. Others didn’t understand the concept of volunteering (working without pay is crazy!) and for some it was just a job. And now, because of Metsuda, their lives have changed. They will forever be tied to each other to lean on as a built-in communal support system. They have the tools to move forward in their careers and voluntary service with confidence and knowledge. This JDC program is changing the course of Jewish history here in Ukraine. It is building a foundation for generations to come in order that Jewish life, which was once forgotten here, will thrive again.

Set deep in the forest, I wondered when we celebrated Shabbat together, singing those familiar Jewish melodies, if anyone could hear us. It is like that great philosophical question, “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it still make a sound?” We were up all night singing and dancing while it snowed outside. I know that even though there was no one around to hear us, we were not alone. I think you may have heard us.