Mother-Daughter Retreat Update and More!

This has been a fantastic and busy couple weeks for Project Kesher, and we couldn't help but share the news with you!

Project Kesher Mother-Daughter Retreat

October 28-31, 2011

A mother and daughter from Cherkassy, Ukraine, participate in the October 28 – 31, 2011

Project Kesher Mother-Daughter Retreat in Kiev by jointly creating a family symbol.

The Mother-Daughter retreat brought together thirteen pair of women and girls from Ukraine and Russia. Participants attended workshops about Jewish tradition, leadership development, community activism, women’s health and safety, and building strong family relationships. All are expected to actively participate in their local Jewish community and PK women’s or youth groups after the training, with ongoing support and peer mentoring provided.

Mother-Daughter Retreat Participants

Project Kesher Beit Binah Retreat

October 28 - 31, 2011

Twenty women from ten cities in Belarus came together for Beit Binah text to activism training. The participants studied Jewish text and its connection to social activism. Beit Binah participants receive monthly programming ideas from the Project Kesher Russian language website about activism corresponding to the cycle of the year and text. The women become lay leader Torah study facilitators in their communities.

This program has developed more than 90 ongoing bi-monthly Torah Study groups in communities throughout Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. Groups meet once a month to study text which is followed by a second meeting to plan and implement social activist projects inspired by the reading.

Svetlana Yakimenko, PK Director Presents at Berlin Conference: October 25 – 30, 2011

Project Kesher Director Svetlana Yakimenko was invited to Berlin to meet with leading women’s NGO’s and European Union representatives to report on Project Kesher’s anti-trafficking and domestic violence activism. Sveta met with German government leaders and advocated for continued support for programs that improve the life of women and girls, even during a period of economic uncertainty. She also presented to Bet Deborah, a European-wide coalition of Jewish women leaders on Sunday, October 30.

PK Honored as Organization of the Year by YWCA in Evanston:

October 27, 2011

Karyn Gershon, Executive Director, Rita Kashner, Board Char and Sallie Gratch, Founder

at the YWomen Leadership Awards

Project Kesher was selected by the YWCA of Evanston, Illinois for its YWomen’s Leadership Award which was presented to Founder Sallie Gratch and Executive Director Karyn Gershon on Thursday evening, October 27 before a crowd of 400 local community members and activists. It was joyful to be surrounded by people who embraced Project Kesher's vision and values, and to be inspired by our fellow award recipients.

PK Groups Participate in Women’s Simchat Torah: October 27, 2011

Twenty-eight Project Kesher women’s groups and youth groups in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Georgia marked the end of the high holidays and fall holidays with special programming in communities throughout the region for celebration, learning and outreach. Here are a few examples – these communities are three of twenty-one communities receiving a Torah Scroll as part of our Torah Return Project:

In Bobruisk, Belarus, PK Beit Binah graduate Lena Davydov and PK leadership training program participants Sophia Bespyatova and Galina Dubasov take out the Torah Scroll Project Kesher brought to the community as part of our Torah Return Project. The women brought together twenty-six mothers and children from the Jewish Sunday school as part of Project Kesher’s Women’s Simchat Torah celebration.

In Bryansk, Russia, thirty-five members of the local Project Kesher women’s groups brought together children and their parents from the Jewish, Christian and Armenian communities to introduce all to the importance of the Torah Scroll in Jewish life and to continue our work building strong relationships and connections between different religious and ethnic communities.

In Nizhny Tagil, Russia, the Project Kesher women’s group brought together children and the elderly for Simchat Torah celebration.