Camp Yeka Concludes in Ukraine Amidst War

For the first time since the outbreak of the war, in partnership with Jewish Relief Network Ukraine (JRNU), Camp Yeka officially returned home for the summer, welcoming over 100 Jewish children from all corners of the country to bring joy and Judaism to their lives.

Camp Yeka, the camp for Jewish children in Ukraine, has been running for 22 years. The camp takes place three times a year; during winter vacation, Passover, and the summer vacation. At the outbreak of the war, the camp changed its usual plans, sending its counselors to support refugee communities all over Europe and Israel. Last summer, the camp took place in two different locations: one in Israel in partnership with Chabad Ba’aliya and one in partnership with the FJC of Ukraine on Lake Balaton in Hungary.

Now, for the first time since the outbreak of the war, in partnership with the organization Jewish Relief Network Ukraine (JRNU), the camp officially returned home for the summer, welcoming over 100 Jewish children from all corners of the country: Dnipro, Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkiv, Sumy, Cherkasy, Kamianske, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Mykolaiv.

The camp took place at the vacation village of Kohavi, on the outskirts of Dnipro. Surrounded by sounds of shelling and sirens in the distance, the campers enjoyed amazing trips, enriching activities, swimming and sports, plucking them out of war torn cities and immersing them in an environment they have sadly lost. A dedicated team of staff members planned Jewish-themed programs which introduced the campers to Jewish tradition and mitzvos. On one occasion, representatives from the community’s Torah Scribe center in Dnipro came to teach the campers about the special art of preparing Torah scrolls, Tefillin, and Mezuzahs.

The devoted counselors of Camp Yeka, led by head counselor Schneur Lerner, come from all over the globe. They are carefully selected from Chabad Yeshivas based on their personality and experience. They are all extremely devoted and committed to their special shlichus of igniting souls. The camp counselors take part in online professional workshops in preparation for their unique shlichus at camp.

Counselor Sholom Levinson shares with COLlive, “Two brothers from Mykolaiv (formerly Nikolayev) joined my group. It was their first time leaving the city due to the war, and they weren’t in a good emotional state. These children knew very little about their Judaism; the only thing they really knew was that their mother is Jewish, that’s about it. As camp went on, they showed a growing interest in practicing Jewish life. They were excited to discover that life has meaning, and that they are part of one big family. Every night, we would say ‘Shema Yisrael’ together. One night, one of the boys asked me out of the blue for my kippah and tzitzis. He insisted on sleeping with them. I was surprised by his request, but I didn’t hesitate and quickly put on my hat instead.

Counselor Shmulik Feldman shares a similar story. The delivery of the tzitzis for all the campers was delayed and only arrived a day before camp ended. Therefore, every day during davening, the campers would stand in line to bless and kiss our tzitzis, which made davening much longer but well worth it. One day, one of the campers, Pasha, surprised us with a special box full of tzitzit from the ‘Menorah Center.’ It turns out that Pasha wanted to surprise his bunkmates, so he called his friend and asked if he could send tzitzis for him and his bunk.”

Dima from the outskirts of Dnipro, for whom this is his first encounter with Judaism, shares with COL: “The most special moment for me at camp was the first Shabbos I observed in my life. Before Shabbos, we put our phones away, and that’s when we felt like we were disconnecting from everything happening around us and truly connecting to Hashem. During the Shabbos meal, we joyfully sang the camp’s songs, and in those moments, I felt how privileged I am to be part of the big family of the Jewish people!”

One of the highlights of the camp was the special Bris Milah that three campers took upon themselves, changing the course of their lives forever. Thanks to the International organisation Brit Yosef Yitzchak and their chief Mohel in Ukraine, Rabbi Yakov Gaisinovitch who were able to organize the Mohel Rabbi Shimon Rachamim to be sent from Israel all the way to the Menora Center’s JMC clinic to perform the Brissim. The Bris Culminated in a regal ceremony and banquet, to honour Yitzchok Eliezer (14), Moshe Leib (11) and David (6), who chose to enter into the covenant of Avraham Avinu during camp. The banquet was addressed by the Rebbe’s emissary to the Dnipro region, Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetzky, followed by special blessings, the naming and joyful dancing.

One counselor Moshe Rosenson shared with us the following experience: During the first Shabbos I sat with one of my campers and asked him what his Jewish name was. He didn’t understand what I was talking about, so I asked him if he had a Bris Milah, to which he replied in the negative. After explaining the great significance that comes along with a Bris Milah and having a Jewish name, he became curious and interested in speaking further. I decided to tell him the whole story, starting from Avraham Avinu and the special commandment Hashem gave to him. After an hour-long conversation, he suddenly exclaimed that he wanted to enter into the covenant of Abraham. Next was choosing his name and he said, “I want the names of my two counselors, Moshe and Leib”. His second counselor, Leibel Lipsker, joined the conversation and added, “you should know, Igor, that you chose a very special name, the name of a great Tzadik, Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sasov.”

Another counselor, Eli Kurtzweil, shared that his experience was a little different: For several years, I’ve been in contact with a boy and his family about a Bris, but nothing has come about. During our first Shabbos meal in camp, we danced joyfully to the tune of “Ekh Ti Zemlyak” a Ukrainian Jewish classic. When we reached number 8, “Vasem Dnei Obrizanye,” (Eight is the number of days we wait before a Bris) an emotional moment unfolded as the campers and staff members stood up on their chairs and sang for a whole hour, and I noticed that this boy had tears in his eyes and asked him, “Sash’e, is everything okay?” He replied that he thinks he wants to have a Bris Milah this week. Overwhelmed with joy, I embraced him, recognizing that this decision came from within, with full sincerity. He expressed his desire to have a Bris Milah and even requested a large shofar as a gift. I gladly assured him “you’ll get exactly that”, my heart filled with joy!

Camp Yeka operates thanks to Dnipro’s Chief Rabbi and Shliach, Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetzky and our dear friends in the Jewish community of Dnipro, together with Rabbi Reuven Kaminetzky.

Our immeasurable thanks goes to the organization JRNU led by Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Peles, without whose help and support these activities wouldn’t be possible. Special thanks to Rabbi Shimmy Weinbaum, Director of Tzivos Hashem and Rabbi Chaim Orenstein.

Thank you to all our supporters from all around the world.

A special thank you to our brave and devoted camp staff for their investment and commitment to their shlichus.

Camp Yeka is led by Rabbi Levi Berger, together with Rabbi Mendel Borodkin, Rabbi Meir Levin, and our administrators in the Ukraine office, Rabbi and Mrs Dovid and Liora Vaskovsky.

In addition to support from inside Ukraine and various organizations, Camp Yeka is partially funded through grassroots fundraising by all of our staff. This year, due to the war, the cost of our programs have skyrocketed.

This year’s fundraising efforts still have a bit to go.

To support Camp Yeka’s work visit charityextra.com/yeka23

For more information about Jewish Relief Network of Ukraine, visit jrnu.org