During the month of June, schools across Ukraine concluded their studies and celebrated the “Last Bell.” For 5th and 6th-grade students of Machon “Chaya-Mushka,” a Jewish school for girls in Dnipro, a gala dinner was held at the Menorah Center, one of the largest Jewish Community Centers in the World. The event celebrated the girl’s participation in (5th grade) and completion of (6th grade) a rigorous two year program that included teachings about the values of the Torah, the Jewish family, and Jewish traditions.
The event included a ceremony honoring program graduates who were proclaimed true “Jewish princesses” and received a beautiful tiara, symbolizing the path they had traversed, their spiritual growth, and their readiness to move to a new level of personal development. The fifth-grade participants received diplomas for completing the first year of the program.
As quickly as school ended, summer camps began. Many children, including seven-year-old Anya, who lives in the orphanage in Odessa, never heard of camp, but she was excited for the adventure.
All of the 124 children at the orphanage have had experiences no child should face: some lost their parents to addiction or illness, some survived years of neglect and poverty, some have weathered trauma and fear from the war and before. At the orphanage they found a home, a family and a future. This summer they will find fun, friends, relaxation, and joy. They will splash in the pool, throw water balloons, color with sidewalk chalk, take day trips, and much more.
For these children, summer camp is more than recreation--it’s an opportunity to escape a world filled with stress, anxiety, and tragedy. It is a chance to heal wounds and be a kid!
It is an honor to support the children of Ukraine, all year round. Together we save lives and restore hope.
