At the Jewish Lyceum No. 144 named after Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, the leading educational institution of the Jewish Community of Dnipro, a joyful and festive celebration marked the beginning of the new academic year with the ringing of the First Bell.
The main heroes of the day were the first-grade students, who were ceremoniously invited by name to the main stage, where they were warmly greeted with applause by fellow lyceum students, their parents, teachers, and the school administration.
The children and their families received a heartfelt blessing from Chief Rabbi of Dnipro and the region Shmuel Kaminezki, who emphasized the importance of Jewish education for the future not only of the community but of the entire Jewish people. He highlighted the deep symbolism of beginning the school year in the month of Elul, when every Jew feels a unique closeness to the Almighty, awakened by the stirring sound of the shofar. Rabbi Kaminezki then led the shofar-blowing ceremony, which all attendees listened to while standing in prayer for peace in Ukraine, in Eretz Yisrael, and around the world.
Following this, the lyceum’s principal, Olena Krasnova, addressed the students, teachers, and parents, wishing them great success and new creative achievements in the year ahead. A meaningful tradition of the celebration was also preserved: watching a video of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and reciting the 12 Pesukim (Torah verses), enthusiastically spoken by the young first graders.
A central part of the event was a symbolic performance: graduating students, who are about to complete their studies at the lyceum, helped the first graders “pack” a special backpack. This backpack contained not only ordinary school supplies—textbooks, notebooks, rulers, pencils—but also what makes the Jewish Lyceum unique: the Torah, tzedakah, candles, a shofar, and intangible yet essential values such as love, faith, friendship, joy, kindness, inspiration, courage, and gratitude.
The celebration concluded with the cherished tradition of the First Bell, rung together by first graders and graduates, officially launching the first school day of the 2025/2026 academic year.
