Your Campaign Dollars at Work: Enabling Life-Altering Experiences in Ukraine

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Key leaders of next year’s Annual Community Campaign joined their peers for Jewish Federations of North America’s campaign chair’s and director’s mission to Kiev and Israel.

Eileen Posner (part of the campaign volunteer leadership team), Sheryl Alexander (JCP’s Director of Financial Resource Development), and Cindy Finestone (Memphis Jewish Federation board member and JCP Financial Resource Developmet co-chair), join 100 other volunteer and professional “campaigners” for a first-hand glimpse of the impact our campaign fundraising makes in the overseas communities we serve. Here, Cindy describes their experiences visiting with Jews in Kiev. 

By Sheryl Alexander

Wednesday was our last day in the Ukraine. It was a whirlwind!

We were taken to a camp sponsored by the Jewish agency that was full of teenagers from all over the country. For many of these kids, this was their first experience with anything Jewish and certainly their first camp experience. One young man told us that he was put on the train by his mother who didn’t tell him where he was going or that he was even Jewish. The counselors at camp explained both.

We heard many stories of how meaningful their camp experience was and how it forever changed their lives. We heard many times how grateful they were for the support coming from Federations like ours, enabling them to have these life altering experiences.

We all left totally inspired and hopeful about the future of young Jews in the Ukraine. After leaving we drove straight to the airport, arriving in Jerusalem about 1 o’clock in the morning.  So while we were weary, we were incredibly inspired and hopeful about the future of Jewish youth in Ukraine.

Donors like you should be proud about how Memphis campaign dollars are being used to assist the most vulnerable around the world, and also how your support is inspiring the resurgence of Jewish life by people of all ages through our campaign dollars.

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