The paint on some constructions has not dried yet, but the Ternopil Municipal Center began to rush to life, hospitably inviting community members to the Open Day. Hesed Besht employees headed by director Igor Ratushny visited here today, to communicate with customers in person, to carry out a number of interesting and useful activities, and most importantly, find out people's needs and find ways to solve them. 10 July 2014 year will enter the Jewish history of the region, as the first full day of the new Community Center for the community.
Less than two months remain before the official opening. This event will mark the 15th anniversary of the founding of Hesed Besht. 16 September this year (after all, the Foundation has long been established to open new premises on the day of his "birth"). Today was a technical discovery using the installed equipment, lighting and aids. That is why the Community Center did not work at full capacity, but everyone was satisfied with the result. Some disadvantages, which were discovered during the "start-up" of the new building have been identified and will be eliminated very soon.
The people of Khmelnytsky brought with them a number of methods and projects, which have proven themselves well in recent times. Three events in a row were held for Ternopil residents, each of which focused on a specific age category of customers. In the morning in the assembly department gathered people of the "golden age", who had the opportunity to talk to the manager of social rehabilitation Alla Klopotyuk. People were invited to delve into memories and reflections on life and good. Alla Yukhimivna told the audience parables, full of deep philosophical thought, which encouraged those present to reflect on the eternal. People also learned about the state of modern charity in the world.
In the afternoon, an event for middle-aged and older people was held in the same hall. Regional Development Manager Halyna Atamanchuk and ensemble leader Anatoliy Muzyka presented the second part of the project, called "Parents and Children" (the first part is called "The Lives of Wonderful People"). The meeting took the form of a dialogue between presenters and clients on the topic of relations between the older and future generations.. Music inserts, performance of author's songs, which harmoniously revealed and complemented the age-old theme, added to the meeting of emotionality. It was not uncommon to see tears in the eyes of guests, who swelled while watching videos; one could often contemplate, as people sang along to familiar guitar motifs.
The event for young families with children took place at sixteen. Public Relations Manager Ludmila Schwartzman and Customer Service Manager Olga Nikitina conducted a master class on making paper flowers for adults and children. In parallel with manual work, developmental work was carried out, which encouraged children and adults to interact with each other, reveal their young or adult personalities and come together to work together.
Except people, involved in meetings, Visitors from the Jewish community of Ternopil also came to the Community Center, who could not remain indifferent to a truly important event. An exhibition on the life of the Jewish community of Ternopil was presented to their attention, which was told by the staff of the mission. Many visitors found photos from personal photo archives in the exhibition program "We are the people", which in itself speaks of the unity of the community, and the importance of self-identification with Jewish history and roots.
While some people were giving presentations or workshops at the OC, others made home visits to clients, who cannot come in person. Such visits always help to better understand a person's needs and problems, form a list of questions, in need of a solution. Some of them had the opportunity to receive special targeted assistance from philanthropists of the All-Ukrainian level, which was twice as nice.
In parallel with all the events, Vyacheslav Nagnybida, the film crew of the Novy Poglyad studio and the editor of the Shalom Aleichem newspaper and the administrator of the hesedbesht.org.ua website, worked at the Community Center that day.. Filmed footage will form the basis of a video about the Community Center, which will be presented on the day of the full opening in September. Some visitors were kindly interviewed on camera. And to sum up in one sentence, said by them, can be noted: "Now there is a real Jewish warm house in Ternopil!»
The visit of Khmelnytsky colleagues ended with a meeting of employees of all departments for better communication and coordination, conducted by Igor Ratushny. The work of the Community Center is a complex process, which requires significant time and effort of many managers. Therefore, everyone must work in harmony and clearly, so that the clients, members of the Jewish community, can fully realize themselves, their skills and needs. The first steps in this process have already been taken. Therefore, we should wish the inspiration of the staff of the Municipal Center of Ternopil in the person of Elena Senyk, Irina Ivshina, Alexander Geller, Mykhailo Shmitko and Hanna Krainyk and all volunteers, who invest their time and skills in building their warm home in the "cool city of Ternopil".