Model Seder Project Opens Doors for Jews in Ukraine

The concept of a "model seder" is expanding in the Jewish communities of southern Ukraine, giving many of the region’s Jews a fresh taste of this family-focused holiday. Through JDC’s newly-launched Pesach-at-Home project, over 200 Jews were trained this month on how to conduct seders on their own for their families and friends, who will also experience this traditional meal for the first time.

At a series of dinners held in advance of the holiday, participants were walked through the Haggadah and essential components of the seder, including the preparation of a seder plate and common dishes. Special invitees, such as a professor from Bar-Ilan University and a local rabbi, led the model seders, which were customized to each of the cities where the training took place—Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson, Kirovograd, and Sevastopol—and targeted toward particular audiences such as Jewish businessmen or young people.

"I was expecting something like a seminar, a lecture with a lot of theory," noted Vladimir, a 27-year-old participant from Odessa. "On the contrary, what I learned was presented in an original and invigorating form—an invaluable and intangible gain for all of us who attended."

With support from JDC, the Jews of Southern Ukraine and beyond have made tremendous strides in exploring their cultural heritage since the beginning of the Jewish renaissance in the early 1990s, following the fall of Communism. Many Jews have forged their connection to the community through Pesach activities: communitywide seders, pre-Pesach educational sessions, seders for Jewish elderly in Warm Homes and clubs, and for families and young leaders through JCCs and Hillels. The "Pesach-on-Wheels" program reaches homebound and bedridden elderly, while collaborative projects between "twin communities" such as Odessa and Baltimore, Maryland (U.S.), offer young adults in both locales an opportunity to expand their Jewish knowledge and shape their identity.

"So much of a foundation has been laid through these various activities, that the new ‘Pesach-at-Home’ project is likely only to deepen the meaning of the holiday for each and every Jewish family by gathering them together to celebrate in their own homes," said Yitzhak Averbuch, JDC Country Director for Central, Western, and Southern Ukraine.

To further the sense of pride for families conducting seders in their apartments, each of the model seder participants is supplied with silver-plated Pesach sets: a seder plate and Kiddush cup, crafted in Israel; and a matzah cover, embroidered by members of the Day Center at the local Hesed in Odessa.

"We’ve never had anything special for Pesach in our home," said Konstantin, a Hillel member and head of a young Jewish family. "This new set and matzah cover will be the beginning of our special collection of a real Jewish family, the collection that our future children will hopefully preserve and be proud of."

Following the success of the 200 participants of this year’s project, the aim is to expand next year to reach hundreds more new leaders in Ukraine, who in turn engage thousands—their relatives and friends—in Jewish celebration.

April 2008