Pupils of the Jewish school in Dnipro “Or Avner Chabad Lubavitch” by Levi Yitzhak Schneerson. participated in the international project “Connections”.
More than forty students from five countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine and Israel participated in the project “Connections “, organized by the Israeli Institute of Science and Heritage of the Jewish People “Am haZikaron “ with the support of “Fooksman Family Foundation”, “Jewish Humanitarian Fund” and “Genesis Philanthropy Group”. During the project twelve online classes were held, during which the children were told about the importance of collecting as much information as possible about Jewish families, their family ties, facts of life, in general, about everything that has happened in families over the centuries.
“Participating in the project “Connections” schoolchildren became part of an international social network, in which they learned about the lives of peers from other countries, about what excites and inspires them, – said Elena Raskina, a teacher of the Jewish school of Dnipro, – for each participant of the project the Institute conducted an individual study of his family history. At the general online meetings, a representative of the Institute told about the facts from the Jewish history of the participants’ families that were most interesting for all those present”.
The organizers of the international project “Connections” report: “The goal of “Connections” is to establish and develop Jewish self-identity among schoolchildren who are in the process of actively searching for their own identity. This task is proposed to be accomplished through the participants’ study of their Jewish family history and communication with Jewish peers from other countries.
The Institute’s research is concerned with the study of Jewish family history and the search for links between generations of Jews separated by centuries. Researchers have found that many characteristics of Jewish families have persisted throughout their known history, up to 900 years. The Institute’s research is supported by a dedicated committee of 55 Nobel Laureates. In public education, Am haZikaron is dedicated to restoring and developing the Jewish identity of today’s youth.
The project also provided a platform for active discussion about what Jewishness is and what role it can play in one’s life. In one of the discussions, participants agreed that for all of them, Jewish identity is primarily an “inner feeling” that can be expressed in a person’s thoughts, words and actions. At the conclusion of the project, each participant had his or her own family tree on the Institute’s online platform , JewAge. The students gained skills for interviewing relatives and continuing to independently research their family history.
In addition to the educational part of the project, the informal communication in the group was of particular value, especially during the periods of bombings and forced relocations of Ukrainian students’ families. One of the project participants, whose family had to move to Berlin, was very sorry that she had to lose contact with the group for a while. When she arrived in Germany, she decided to visit the city where her family had originated several centuries ago. For one participant from Kharkov, the group proved to be an extremely strong psychological support. One day she had to interrupt a meeting to go down to the shelter. The group proved so important to the girl that she returned to the meeting as soon as she could.
The curators of the Institute tried to provide a supportive and accepting environment at each of the discussions planned within the project. The opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences was very valuable for the participants.
The Am haZikaron Institute is very grateful to Elena Krasnova, the principal of Dnipro Jewish School, and Elena Raskina, the class teacher, for their willingness to cooperate in such a difficult time for Dnipro. By researching their family history, the teens were able to learn how Jewishness, passed down through the generations, can influence their identity in the modern world and help them to live in difficult times”.