From A Journey Towards Freedom to Building a Jewish Future, Stories from Tblisi and Saint Petersburg
It's a sunny day in Saint Petersburg, the weather is mild. I even took off my coat, something rare I am being told for early April. On the banks of the Neva river blocks of ice are lingering and barely melting.
We get off the bus to enter the world famous l' Hermitage, I am next to Avital and Natan Sharansky. Today, we have the privilege to visit the museum an hour before it officially opens. But I feel that the real privilege is for our group to accompany two Jewish heroes who changed the course of Jewish history.
Natan likes to joke that he spent 9 years in the Gulag, 9 years in Israeli politics and 9 years at the head of the Jewish Agency. With all his travels, Natan never had the time to really enjoy a majestic city like Saint Petersburg. He is now 71, retired but can't help taking leadership roles and inspire others. His last one? Agreeing to join JFNA's National Young Leadership Cabinet study mission in Saint Petersburg.
The night before we flew from Tblisi, Georgia to Russia. We spent 3 days in the Georgian capital and its surroundings. The country is undergoing a renaissance of Jewish life, just like the rest of the Former Soviet Union (FSU). The country is completely open to the West, tourists come from all over the world. As I am meeting with the Jewish young adults with my colleagues, they insist on speaking just English even if you speak to them in Russian.
In Saint Petersburg, Natan explained to us that the Jewish Agency underwent a strategic shift, from seeing the FSU as a one way direction to Israel with the sole goal of Aliyah to building a strong Jewish identity and a connection to Israel as a two-way street.
As we enter the exhibition hall in Tblisi, we are greeted by camp counselors of the Jewish Agency. Each of them is dressed as an Israeli personality. The children who attend the camps join us for dancing and activities, a bond is created through activities.
Every year, about 90 children from Georgia participate in our Jewish Agency summer camp in Gregoliti. For many of those children, it's their first Jewish connection, some of them did not even know they were Jewish before going to camp, some come from remote towns where they are the only Jews. In those camps they also connect to Israel with our Israeli counselors through music, food and connection just like in the exhibition hall.
The same is true in Saint Petersburg, where under the leadership of former MK Orit Zuaretz, the Jewish Agency runs a host of activities, leadership programs, sends participants on Birthright, Masa and offers 5 sessions of summer camps. Those sleep away Jewish Agency camp programs across the FSU are cost prohibitive and so the philanthropic dollars from donors, Foundations and Jewish Federations change lives.
After a busy week of tourism, site visits and connections, the study mission is winding down. Natan agrees to join us at the bar of the hotel. Around a drink, we interact with him. I am impressed by the questions being asked and Natan's responses. Natan said I will be here for 15 minutes, an hour later he continues to engage and of course he agrees to have pictures taken with him.
It's now Shabbat in Saint Petersburg and it's the last day of the study mission, it is usually a day to relax on those kinds of programs. We are all gathered for an important moment: learn from Avital and Natan about their journey towards freedom together. It's the last piece of this study mission, but maybe the most important one.
It's really the highlight of the study mission: to hear directly from Avital and her journey towards Natan's freedom. It's the best fitting story as we are heading towards Passover, it's the perseverance of not one but two people who believed they were changing the course of Jewish history and did so people to people. And that's where I realized that their mission and purpose will never end, even in retirement, they continue to believe in changing the course of Jewish history people to people. That's precisely why they joined the leaders of tomorrow on this study mission.
May this be a Good Passover and may our ancient and modern Jewish heroes continue to inspire the generations to come!
We get off the bus to enter the world famous l' Hermitage, I am next to Avital and Natan Sharansky. Today, we have the privilege to visit the museum an hour before it officially opens. But I feel that the real privilege is for our group to accompany two Jewish heroes who changed the course of Jewish history.
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| Group picture at l' Hermitage |
Natan likes to joke that he spent 9 years in the Gulag, 9 years in Israeli politics and 9 years at the head of the Jewish Agency. With all his travels, Natan never had the time to really enjoy a majestic city like Saint Petersburg. He is now 71, retired but can't help taking leadership roles and inspire others. His last one? Agreeing to join JFNA's National Young Leadership Cabinet study mission in Saint Petersburg.
The night before we flew from Tblisi, Georgia to Russia. We spent 3 days in the Georgian capital and its surroundings. The country is undergoing a renaissance of Jewish life, just like the rest of the Former Soviet Union (FSU). The country is completely open to the West, tourists come from all over the world. As I am meeting with the Jewish young adults with my colleagues, they insist on speaking just English even if you speak to them in Russian.
 |
| Panoramic view of Tblisi |
In Saint Petersburg, Natan explained to us that the Jewish Agency underwent a strategic shift, from seeing the FSU as a one way direction to Israel with the sole goal of Aliyah to building a strong Jewish identity and a connection to Israel as a two-way street.
As we enter the exhibition hall in Tblisi, we are greeted by camp counselors of the Jewish Agency. Each of them is dressed as an Israeli personality. The children who attend the camps join us for dancing and activities, a bond is created through activities.
Every year, about 90 children from Georgia participate in our Jewish Agency summer camp in Gregoliti. For many of those children, it's their first Jewish connection, some of them did not even know they were Jewish before going to camp, some come from remote towns where they are the only Jews. In those camps they also connect to Israel with our Israeli counselors through music, food and connection just like in the exhibition hall.
The same is true in Saint Petersburg, where under the leadership of former MK Orit Zuaretz, the Jewish Agency runs a host of activities, leadership programs, sends participants on Birthright, Masa and offers 5 sessions of summer camps. Those sleep away Jewish Agency camp programs across the FSU are cost prohibitive and so the philanthropic dollars from donors, Foundations and Jewish Federations change lives.
After a busy week of tourism, site visits and connections, the study mission is winding down. Natan agrees to join us at the bar of the hotel. Around a drink, we interact with him. I am impressed by the questions being asked and Natan's responses. Natan said I will be here for 15 minutes, an hour later he continues to engage and of course he agrees to have pictures taken with him.
It's now Shabbat in Saint Petersburg and it's the last day of the study mission, it is usually a day to relax on those kinds of programs. We are all gathered for an important moment: learn from Avital and Natan about their journey towards freedom together. It's the last piece of this study mission, but maybe the most important one.
It's really the highlight of the study mission: to hear directly from Avital and her journey towards Natan's freedom. It's the best fitting story as we are heading towards Passover, it's the perseverance of not one but two people who believed they were changing the course of Jewish history and did so people to people. And that's where I realized that their mission and purpose will never end, even in retirement, they continue to believe in changing the course of Jewish history people to people. That's precisely why they joined the leaders of tomorrow on this study mission.
 |
| Picture of Natan taken on Friday morning |
May this be a Good Passover and may our ancient and modern Jewish heroes continue to inspire the generations to come!
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