Commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust
In Ukraine, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust was first celebrated at the state level in 2012 year in accordance with the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine dated 5 July 2011 of the year “On the 70th anniversary of the Babi Yar tragedy”.
To provide historical truth about the events of World War II, the decisive role of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition in the victory over fascism, and to preserve the memory of the horrors of the Holocaust with 2005 year, the world hosts a series of high-level events called the World Holocaust Forum (International Forum “life for my people!”).
For five years now, the Jews of Ternopil and the Righteous Among the Nations have been gathering on this day, because exactly 27 January 1945 The Soviet army liberated the largest Nazi death camp Auschwitz – Birkenau (Poland).
Day 27 January turned out to be cold and windy… According to a long-standing tradition, it began with a mourning meeting near the place of mass death of the Ternopil Jewish community in. Petrikov.
Less and less prisoners of the ghetto and people who rescued them come to this stone platform with an obelisk as white as snow every year ... Years take their toll, so these meetings become more and more valuable.
Six candles in memory of 6 millions of the dead, we also lit at the memorial plaque at the entrance to the Ternopil ghetto. When the kaddish sounded, we thought, that the sounds of vehicles noisy behind have disappeared, as if dissolved in the words of a prayer.
This year, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the suggestion of UNESCO, was held under the motto : “Education for a Better Future: the role of historical monuments and museums in Holocaust education”.
An hour after the rally, children came to the Community Center – students 7 class of the gymnasium "Harmony" at the Galician College and our youth. After a tour of the Museum of Jewish History in Khesed and watching a documentary film about pre-war Ternopil, they met with ghetto prisoner Gonchar Valentina and daughter of the prisoner Stakhanskaya Elena. There were no indifferent people in the hall. Emotions at once overwhelmed all those present. And tears of adults, re-experiencing the events of youth and pure children's tears of sympathy became a kind of ellipsis, completing this memorable day.
Inspired by this meeting, the teachers of the gymnasium organized a drawing competition on the theme of the meeting in khesed and are planning to make a film, in which stories of prisoners will be heard illustrated with children's drawings.
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Meeting at the cinema (+video)
4 February in the cinema hall of the Hesed Community Center a meeting with one of the authors of the new film about Ternopil "Little stories of an unknown place" Alexei Shirokov. After watching the film, the guests actively discussed the topics raised in the film with the author for more than an hour., supplementing the texts with missed details and personal impressions of the old city. The author was especially pleased to hear that, that everyone supported the main idea of the film that, that it's time to feel like a real "Mischan" – citizens of the city, regardless of nationality, learn to respect each other, to become members of the real "Mishchansky brotherhood" and joint efforts to build a new Ternopil.
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Lectures on economic literacy
Ella Sydorenko, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Department of the Kesher Project, visited the Ternopil Community Center on a working visit and held a lecture for women on the topic of "Economic Literacy". Learning such a plan is an integral part of the organization's activities, along with the promotion of women's health, because it provides women with more freedom from the negative factors of today. The listeners were satisfied with the program and received new useful information.
Economic literacy training in Ternopil OC is conducted in detail and consistently. More than a year ago, the coordinator of the "Kesher Project" in the region, Olena Stakhanska, chose this topic as a priority for study and popularization. Since then, women can say with confidence, about improving their financial situation, because the program teaches them not only to save, but also plan the family budget correctly. To minimize costs, women determined the electricity consumption in their homes and learned to turn off "lossy" appliances at the right time and many other simple, but effective ways of saving. Every woman has her own notebook, in which records and calculations are kept, and the numbers in them really reflect the effectiveness of the performed manipulations.
Ella Sydorenko, which coordinates programs of economic direction, brought with her two unique lectures. Twenty-one students gathered to gain new knowledge, moreover, three of them came from the German community, with which the Community Center maintains a close friendly relationship. The first lecture was about competent preparation of the family budget, definition of expenditure items and planning.
But the second topic seemed to be new and extremely necessary - the education of economic literacy in children in a Jewish family. Children are our future and we always want to give them more. But that is why we often take wrong steps, which subsequently affect the child's further perception of money, which passes into adulthood. Hence, for example, by giving a child money every day for "pocket expenses", we form a wrong perception of finances in him, which can be compared to "manna from heaven" – whatever they do, and they are. Therefore, according to Ella Sydorenko, it is better to give money once a week in a larger amount, so that the child learns to plan his fortune and value money in general. And there were many such examples.
Although the classes lasted four hours with one coffee break, women survived this time "in one breath". Information that is useful nowadays is easily perceived, because there is a need for it. Since the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" aims to improve the situation of its clients, such cooperation with the "Kesher project" is positive and in demand.
Grateful listeners presented guests from Dnipropetrovsk with a piece of their needlework - a reyzel, and the employees of the OC ensured a comfortable stay in Ternopil and a tour of the Jewish part of the city. We hope so, that the new information will be useful in practice and contribute to the improvement of the well-being of women and their families.
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Assistance to forced migrants
The Lobach family, moved to Ternopil about two months ago. A difficult fate brought them here from the chaotic Luhansk. "We heard from friends, that it is calm here, - says Tatiana's mother, - that's why they gathered their belongings and ran away from home". Father Andriy, with the hope of further employment, currently he is interrupted by part-time jobs to support his wife and six-year-old daughter Kharytyna. Managers of the Ternopil Community Center - a representative office of the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" came to help the family.
The visit of representatives of the charity organization to the Lobach family revealed the difficult situation of the forced migrants. Temporary housing is quite satisfactory, but tight for the family. Besides, monthly rent for an apartment in winter, when energy carriers increased in price, threatens to leave the family without a penny at all. "We received the refugee status immediately and without any problems, Tatyana continues, — but the paperwork didn't end there.". Hence, Kharytina is not entitled to attend kindergarten for free, although there is every reason for this. However, the world is not without good people and the girl has already settled in a kindergarten not far from home, but the issue of payment still remains open.
In Ternopil, the family found new friends, and Kharytyna - new friends. Everyone treats the migrants with understanding, to the question "do children offend?" the girl confidently answers "no!». The family needs help with food, therefore, our Foundation provided the "Store" service for a significant amount of funds. It is also planned to help Kharytina with the purchase of clothes, because little things, who were taken out of the house, in the winter period is lacking.
The Lobach family lives with the hope of improving their material condition. Employees of our Foundation actively participate in this, which deal with issues of speeding up the documentation of refugees in all instances. In Luhansk, Kharytyna attended children's programs of the local "chesed", therefore, the desire to attend relevant programs and creative workshops in the Ternopil Community Center is also present in children. Thus, people in a foreign city, thanks to our organization, feel confident, feeling friendly and helpful, involvement in the Jewish community.
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The program “A warm house” at a guest house in a charity
salon of the artist Natalia Basarab
Natalia Basarab's work is widely known to Ternopil residents. The artist's talent allows her to work in many techniques, as usual for the general public, as well as rare and even unique ones. The original stereo-paintings made of feathers gained recognition, which were even exhibited abroad.
The program “A warm house” visited Natalia Basarab's salon, which she created on her own for the charitable needs of artists. Young artists take their first steps here, which are just gaining recognition. To clients “A warm home” it was extremely pleasant and interesting to change the atmosphere of an ordinary apartment into an art salon. Here they had the opportunity to talk with the artist, view the numerical exposition of the salon. For all people, it was a real cultural explosion.
It was only the first meeting “A warm home” of the three planned. As customers, and the associate hostess of the warm house, Nataliya Basarab, were satisfied with such cooperation. And this is not surprising, because a charitable salon and a charitable foundation will always find common interests in the field of work for people's needs.
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Ternopil Jews gather in the "Community Center"
In its own premises on the street. Shashkevich, 3/27 the representative office of the "Hesed Besht" charity fund in Ternopil was opened.
– The word "Besht" means "Mercy", – says the instructor of the "Community Center" Iryna Ivshina. – The name itself explains that, what we do. This is helping people.
The Ternopil representative office of the "Hesed Besht" fund operates from 2000 year - all this time in rented premises. Its purpose is to help local Jews, members of their families, and also to the righteous of Ukraine and the world, says Mrs. Ivshina.
– Our first task was to feed the people. In particular, on the street. Russian — there, where is "Neptune", there was a charity canteen. Cooked kosher food. There were times, when they had lunch in this dining room 40 persons, – continues the instructor. – Now we have moved on to another type of activity - people, which are in need, received cards and can buy products themselves, that do not contradict kashrut (religious norms of nutrition - approx. order.).
If the fund serves in the Ternopil region 700 persons, then in Khmelnytskyi — 5000, volunteer of the "Community Center" Volodymyr Opalyukh details. IS 15 patronage workers, who take care of 60 sick and infirm in the region, Ms. Ivshina says.
– In general, the fund has 21 program, – says Mr. Opalukh.
And all projects are concentrated in the "Community Center". So, the club "What? Where? When?”, cinema hall, library, museum. On Sunday, parents and children gather for Shashkevich.
– We spend days in different cities. Since we moved here in February, and they just started working here in September, like in your own room, then they had already spent the days of Chortkov, Berezhan, Demanding, Strusova. We are planning Kremenets day for October, – Ms. Ivshina explains. – This is when the Jews and their family members come, we show them the "Community Center", we arrange a cultural program…
Twice a month, the sick and those who are sick are brought to the center for communication, who cannot leave the house on their own.
– But in general, we work every day with 9.00 to 18.00, – the instructor says. – Some programs take time and up to 21.30.
Foundation and "Community Center", according to Iryna Ivshina and Volodymyr Opalyukh, are ready to cooperate with the authorities of the city and region.
– Previously, cooperation with the authorities was closer. We participated in the Days of National Minorities, they brought a dance team from Khmelnytskyi, made a puppet show based on Jewish folk tales, exhibition of embroidery and beadwork, – reminds Ternopolyanka. – We are still ready for joint work.
Volodymyr Moroz. “Newspaper 20 minutes” the more harmony between people 25 September 2014 year
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New history of the Ternopil representative office
Sometimes, it is much better to start with a "clean slate"., than to rewrite old history several times. This is exactly what we want to do now: this page of the website of the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht", dedicated to the Ternopil representative office, will not begin with the events of fourteen years ago, and from spring 2013. It was then that a new stage in the history of the development of the representative office and the community began in Ternopil - the creation of the Community Center began.
Until now, assistance to people was provided in rented premises, in terms, we can say, last century. And no matter how much we try to improve conditions - "someone else's home always remains someone else's", devoid of "aidishe neshume". Like all the Jewish people, who lives in a galut, Ternopil residents felt out of place, even surrounded by the love and warmth of patronage and social workers of the representative office.
Coordinates for the navigator: 49.549111, 25.589433
And that time has come, when the opportunity arose to solve this issue once and for all. He was waited for a long time, but ancient Jewish wisdom says for a reason: "Patience – gold". It is in the spring 2013 there was a good situation, thanks to the incredible efforts in the search for patrons and caring people by the management of the Foundation and personally by the director Igor Ratushny. So, financial assistance of "JDC" organizations, «WJR», "2U" and local benefactors of the community were allowed to begin the construction of a real communal Jewish home. Premises of the Community Center, actually, not rented, located in the center of the city, at the address of st. Shashkevich, 3 approx. 27.
On the creation of modern, a whole team of specialists worked in the multi-functional and cozy Community Center with the support of the employees of the Hesed Besht CBF and the Ternopil representative office. From the first days, social programs started working here, so that the assistance to the clients of the fund does not stop for a moment. Together, we managed to create a pleasant atmosphere, as well as successful ergonomics of all premises without exception.
Photo report on the construction of the Community Center
They are located in the Community Center of the city of Ternopil: museum of the life of the Jewish community of Ternopil region, social assistance center, where all customer support programs work, healing with medicinal herbs is carried out, bright hall, which combines a conference hall, the scene, press center, a studio for needlework and a day center, places library and exhibition shelves. Once in the OC, the visitor will be impressed by the thoughtful planning for a long time, completely oriented to the needs of people.
This is just the beginning of a new story, which begins to be created in Ternopil. In the future, we will publish the highlights of the work of the Community Center, the opening of which is scheduled for 16 September 2014 year.