Global Jewish Connections

This fall, the Siegel JCC applied to and was accepted into the JCC Global From Good to Great Program. This three-program designed to enhance the capacity and sustainability of JCCs in Ukraine, which have been impacted by war, simultaneously develops global collaborations with partner JCCs worldwide.

Once accepted, our JCC was matched with the NOEK JCC in Mikolaev, Ukraine, and Rishon LeZion East Community Center in Israel, with plans to team up on projects and also knowledge share to support work in each of our communities.

The program was set to kick off with a global retreat in Budapest. In December, I traveled to Budapest along with CEO Ivy Harlev and Board Co-President Stacy Horowitz for the retreat. We were among 100 professionals and lay leaders representing 31 Jewish Community Centers from around the world, from North America, Ukraine, Israel, Europe, and Latin America.

The Ukrainians, especially, went to great lengths to join, many traveling for days. Their cohort was comprised mostly of women, as Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country. One Ukrainian participant was able to meet up with her son in Budapest, seeing him for the first time in a year, after sending him to live in Germany at the age of 17.

The retreat featured excellent speakers, presentations from the field, and opportunities to network in small groups. One day was exclusively focused on time spent within our match.

Our new friends Polina, Director of the NOEK JCC, and Misha, Director of Hesed Reim, are doing incredible things for their community in Mikolaev. During a time of trauma, when people feel like the world is spinning out of control, they are showing their constituents that they will continue to take care of them and hold them together.

In Rishon LeZion, JCC Director Noam, supported by Board Chair Sofia and Board Member Iris, is adapting to crisis, something they highlighted as a key strength. They are providing public bomb shelters to those living in old buildings without them, and finding ways to keep children entertained during long periods in shelters.

Their stories of resilience are nothing short of inspirational. It was us who left feeling strengthened.

Over the next three years, we will become a global family. We have plans to celebrate holidays together over Zoom as a starting point. Misha from Ukraine offered that having the opportunity to share their experience with their counterparts around the world makes him feel supported, so our connections will go beyond just the holidays. We also look forward to introducing our Ukrainian and Israeli communities to our community here in Delaware and creating connections between people of similar demographics.

Building community is an important value at the Siegel JCC, and this can extend far beyond our traditional boundaries.