Dear Friends and Partners,
One of the best known themes of Chanukah appears on the four sides of the dreidel: Nes Gadol Haya Sham… "A great miracle happened there."
Miracles were evident when the small brave band of Maccabees defeated the mighty Greek army; when oil enough for one day burned in the menorah for eight whole days.
And thanks to friends like you, who understand the importance of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, miracles are happening before our eyes - right now - in communities throughout Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and other countries of the CIS.
Take Kaliningrad, Russia, for example. Formerly the city of Koenigsberg, it is situated on the Baltic Sea coast, wedged between Lithuania and Poland - hardly what you'd call a vibrant center of Jewish life after the war.
But all that's changing…
Every year, Rabbi Dovid Shvedik, Chief Rabbi of Kaliningrad, holds a large public menorah lighting. That Judaism can be expressed and celebrated openly in what was formerly a hostile, dangerous location is a miracle in itself… but there's more.
It occurred to Rabbi Shvedik that it wasn't enough just to plan a public event. "Perhaps there are Jews who are elderly or sick who can't attend," he explained. "That's why I decided to take a few youths from our local students' club, and make home visits during the Chanukah season."
So, armed with menorahs, candles, latkes, and care packages of nutritious kosher food, the rabbi and some excited teenagers made rounds throughout the neighborhood.
Everywhere they went, people couldn't stop thanking them for the opportunity to light the candles, to taste the latkes, to feel truly proud to be Jewish.
Who would believe this tremendous response? "Nes Gadol Haya Sham"… miracle upon miracles.
With just one menorah left, the rabbi and his team was about to head home. As he said goodbye to the elderly woman they'd been visiting, she told Rabbi Shvedik that her downstairs neighbor had broken his leg.
She didn't know if he was Jewish, but would the rabbi stop in and see him, too?
And that's how Rabbi Schvedik met Yuri. The elderly man was touched that the rabbi would take the time to visit him and offer him food. His face brightened when the young boys and girls sang Jewish songs for him. Finally, the rabbi pulled out his last menorah. "Yuri, have you ever seen one of these?"
The elderly man was overcome. He reached out to touch the little menorah, speechless, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"My name is Yaakov," he whispered. "I studied in a Jewish school when I was a child. The last time I lit a menorah was in a cellar in the ghetto of Glubokoye - my home town. I was only fourteen. It was the last Chanukah I spent with my parents.
"After that, there was an uprising in the ghetto. My entire family and almost everybody else… the Nazis killed them all.
"I managed to escape, living in the forest with a group of partisans. Years later, I met and married a woman who also survived the Glubokoye ghetto. I locked my Jewish life away in the past. I never thought I'd ever see a rabbi here in Kaliningrad… I never thought I'd light a menorah again."
Trembling with emotion, Yaakov placed the candles in the menorah and struck a match. Then he said the blessings in perfect Hebrew!
The flames flickered, then burned steadily… reflected in the wide eyes of the youths, and the eyes of the old man who never imagined his Jewish soul would ever be rekindled.
"Nes Gadol Haya Sham." Rabbi Schvedik will tell anyone who asks. "Yaakov himself is a Chanukah miracle. But it doesn't end there.
Now he comes to the Jewish day school to tell the children about his past.
"He has a grandson who would have been lost to the Jewish people forever, G-d forbid, who is now one of our students… preparing for his bar mitzvah."
What more can I say?
In the former Soviet Union, there are thousands of elderly, impoverished Jews like Yaakov just waiting to be discovered, embraced, and reconnected to their Jewish roots.
And, there are thousands of young people growing up completely cut off from any Jewish experience - thirsty for the spiritual warmth of tradition and community.
Each one is a treasure… each one has a story… and with your help, each precious soul can experience a bright, vibrant Jewish future.
When caring people like you feel passionately about Jewish survival take the time to act, that's what makes these miracles possible!
Consider this:
- Last Chanukah, the FJC distributed 250,000 Menorahs for home use, shipments being made to 426 communities throughout the fifteen republics.
- Care packages containing food, clothing, medicine, warm blankets and other basic human necessities were distributed to thousands of families in need… so they could celebrate the Festival of Lights in the warmth of their homes.
- More than 100 public Menorah lightings took place throughout Russia and the rest of the CIS, with governors, mayors and other public officials participating.
- The FJC sponsored dozens of concerts and Chanukah theatrical plays over the holiday.
But we cannot rest on past accomplishments.
The Chanukah outreach programs this year promise to be even more widespread…attracting even more Jews… allowing men, women, and children… even in the most remote villages to sing, celebrate, learn, grow, identify, and find their true heritage.
In Jewish day schools, teams of youth workers will travel to 40 cities to teach thousands of children how to make their own Menorahs, how to press their own olive oil, and… something every Jewish child wants to know… how to play Dreidel.
They will learn about the Dreidel's four letters and their timeless meaning: "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" - a great miracle happened there…. I'm sure they will all realize that miracles still happen… here… and now!
Won't you please help make all this possible?
A gift of any amount to the FJC means so much to the impoverished Jews of the CIS. Your dollar goes very far in this part of the world!
Just $100 provides a month of hot meals and Jewish classes for a child like Yaakov's grandson.
$18 feeds an elderly man or woman in one of our soup kitchens for an entire week!
And a mere $10 provides a complete Chanukah package with menorah, candles, latkes and a week's worth of groceries for a Jew like Yaakov, just waiting to reconnect with Jews around the world on this Festival of Lights.
Please open your heart and give generously this holiday season. Because together, we can make miracles.
Sincerely,
Avraham Berkowitz
Executive Director
