By:  Anastasiya Gooding

Young people play a large part determining not only the present, but also the future of a country. Therefore, it is very important for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem to support Jewish youth even outside of Israel, especially as a means to encourage them to build their own future back in the Promised Land.

However, especially in the case of the former Soviet republics, this often involves re-establishing the connection between the Jewish community and their religious and cultural roots, which were severed for several generations during the communist era.

“During the seven decades of the Soviet regime, the Jewish community of the former Soviet Union (FSU) experienced severe identity loss”, explains Roman Polonski, director of the FSU department for the Jewish Agency for Israel. “Thirty years after the regime’s collapse, only an estimated 20 percent of the 800,000 Jews across the broad expanse of what is now the FSU are meaningfully engaged in Jewish life. Russian-speaking Jews, therefore, have unique Jewish educational needs, both in the FSU and in other regions.”

In response, the ICEJ has been supporting Aliyah programs for Jewish youths for many years now, including our sponsoring of Youth Aliyah camps. In these camps organized by JAFI and supported by the Christiam Embassy, Jewish children starting from the age of seven learn about Israel and the opportunities that await them here. Through such programs as Naale and Sela, they also have the opportunity to continue their education and Jewish identity-building in Israel. These Youth Aliyah programs have been a huge success over the years in bringing Jewish children to Israel ahead of their parents and then helping their parents acclimate once they have arrived. Thus, it has been a great blessing for the ICEJ to support these unique and highly successful pre-Aliyah camp gatherings.

In fact, the ICEJ has just helped to sponsor two such winter camps in January 2022. One of them took place in St. Petersburg with thirty-four young people from ages ten to fifteen. They were joined by six trained counselors and enjoyed their camp experience in the historic city of Pushkin, a suburb of Russia’s northern capital of St. Petersburg. Activities which helped the participants embrace their Jewish identity and Israeli culture included creative workshops, games, and quests all held in a surprisingly warm atmosphere.

One winter camp attendee, 11-year-old Daniel Vulfovich from St. Petersburg, was thrilled to take part.

“I really enjoyed the winter festival this year”, said Daniel. “It’s great to be able to spend your holidays like this. The camp counselors made our holiday fun and productive. We studied the history, traditions and culture of the Jewish people, held various master classes and games. There was also a snowball fight. I would like to thank the sponsors who help in holding such festivals.”

Another ICEJ assisted winter camp took place near Minsk, in Belarus, enrolling fifty-two children along with their camp counselors. This camp was allowed to happen despite the Covid restrictions still in place. However, due to social distancing, twice as many busses were needed and urgent financial support was necessary in order to abide by Covid regulations. Thanks to our Christian supporters around the world the ICEJ could cover this need, as well as enable some of the parents from needy families to travel to the bus departure point and give their children a proper send-off.

Life in Belarus is very difficult, and parents want their children to make the transition to Israel, where they believe they will have a better life. We have had the privilege to witness more and more young Belarusians discovering and embracing their heritage after decades of concealing it. These camps are usually staffed by young Israelis, and it is very inspiring for the campers to connect with them as they learn about life in the modern Israel. For most children, the camp is their first genuine encounter with what it means to be Jewish, providing the foundation of their Jewish identity and nurturing the desire to make Aliyah.

Please continue to support our Aliyah efforts in helping more young Jewish people to find their future in Israel and be a blessing for their country. Give towards the Aliyah efforts of the ICEJ.