Hundreds of Children, One Home

“Очень счастливый я потому что я еврей, Ochen schatslivi ya potmu shto ya yevrey – I am so happy to be a Jew”.

Over 450 Jewish kids will be singing that this summer once again on the extraordinary grounds of Camp Yeka, Ukraine, the only Jewish camp in the country that welcomes any child irrelevant if their financial or religious standings.
Meet the Yeka kids.

“I escaped from the war in Lugansk. With rockets and mortars pounding our city we had no choice. I am living temporarily in Cherkassy. We don’t know what to do next or where we will be. I know I will always have a home in Yeka. There i can relax in safety and be surrounded by fun and the love of my counselors,” Alexander Teslya, 10.

“It all started in Yeka,” he tells his counselors. Aron was working towards kickboxing championships when a local shliach connected him with Camp Yeka. Aaron was completely adverse to yiddishkiet until the chayus of the staff at camp inspired him and he became involved. That summer at the age of 12 Aron had his Bris Milah and a few months later his counselor raised money and bought him his very own Tefillin. Aaron now learns in yeshiva and is a leader in the Jewish community. He is eagerly waiting for camp this summer – Aaron Vaskovskiy, 16.

“I used to live in Khmelnizki, but now I live in Zhytomyr”. Abandoned at a very young age Esther Malka was growing up in a non-Jewish orphanage at the mercy of Russian officials. Camp Yeka was ‘approved’ by their legalities and during the summer she was connected through various shluchim to reach the Ohr Avner home in Zhytomyr. She now lives amongst Jewish girls and writes on social media “I am ready for Yeka” – Esther Malka, 14.

Camp Yeka has a chayus that surpasses the boundaries of a harsh Ukrainian life and reaches the pure Jewish soul, igniting it and giving the children the energy to keep going. When abuse is expected, cold living conditions and infrequent meals are regular, where war is standard – Yeka is the safe haven.

Yeka counselors from all over the world join together to fundraise every single penny necessary to fund the summer experience for individuals like Alexander, Aaron, Esther Malka and 450 more children. Yeka guarantees a summer of safety, love and warmth, food for the body and soul and real yiddishkiet.

Please team together with us, to keep the flame of Yiddishkeit alive in the country from where the Rebbe hailed and where the rate of intermarriage is higher than ever before.

Make a donation and let us change the world for the better, one child at a time.
Camp Yeka, a summer sanctuary.

Support the incredible work of Yeka camps here.