Impressions of students of ORT Tekhiya, Center of Education # 1311
On the 3rd to 11th April, a group of students of the 10th grade - Sofia Fomina, Catherine Pshenichnikova, Spartak Shamilov, Emmanuel Vaganov and Dan Schneider - took part in the international project "Masa Shorashim", initiated by those organizations and individuals who consider the memory of generation and history of people as important.
"Magic eight days in Ukraine! The program, as a real time machine, takes you across the time and geography. Lvov, Brody, Medjiboj, Zhovkva, Kiev - those cities that I will remember for a long time. Thanks to this trip, I met many interesting friends from around the world. I learned a lot about the Jewish community in Ukraine, about the places where my ancestors came from, and I saw those shtetles from which only traces remained: the old Jewish homes, the former retail space, traces of Mezuzah on the door jamb, dilapidated synagogue.
In my opinion, this program is very important because many teens do not know the Jewish history that should never be forgotten! After all, every generation, every year we come far of those days. "
Dan Schneider
"Talking about our trip to Ukraine, we cannot stop expressing our gratitude to the sponsors of the trip and our guides.
It was a memorable days, we put a lot of excursions, imbued with Jewish-Zionist and Israeli spirit. Days passed quickly, but every day imprinted in the memory and soul of each of us. Despite the weather conditions and the difficulties we would have gone to this trip again in a heartbeat! "
Sofia Fomina, Emmanuel Vaganov
In such a logistically-complex and global travels the common work is important and serious. Exactly how every responsible person will do its part so the impression of the whole project will be. But this is not about how to do projects, but about five of those ninth-graders who took part in the "Masa Shorashim." All together or individually, they would like to thank a lot for this project. Since the preparation phase Emmanuel joined as a real adult, a responsible person who can be trusted with any assignment. The whole team students, teaming with "colleagues" from the ORT school, indeed, did Shabbat as Shabbat, filling Lviv synagogue with songs, fun, so the rabbi said that for a long time in the synagogue, he did not feel real "kavanagh" (approx. "Kavanagh" - a special feeling in the heart and mind in a prayer).
Lead this team as real madrichim Dan and Kathy. Spartacus was the fiercest guardian of the traditions of Shabbat meals in our group. Thank you very much to beautiful ladies - Kate and Sopha, who not only became a real precious of the Moscow group, but also created a mood for the entire trip. And what the leaders were our students on the evening devoted to the Jewish shtetl! And these are just a few examples of that the outcome of any project - it's not only that teacher organizes for the students, first of all, the willingness of each participant to really sink into the project and start doing it yourself.
Thank you very much!
Vasiliy (Max) Bardadymov, accompanying the group
