A final event of the Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson Yeshiva Ktana took place in Dnipro, marking a vibrant, large-scale, and extraordinary conclusion to the school year. At the world’s largest Jewish center, “Menorah,” in the “Sinai” cinema-concert hall, students, teachers, parents, and guests gathered for the premiere screening of the “Paths of the Chassidim” film festival. The event combined the culmination of the year, the honoring of students and teachers, and a grand festive program that became a notable occasion in the life of the Dnipro Jewish Community.
The film festival was not merely a beautiful form of graduation or a school concert, but a comprehensive concluding event in which learning, Chassidic education, creative work, stage culture, and the atmosphere of a true community celebration were united into a single whole. From the first moments, the event set a high emotional tone: the program opened with a performance by the drummers, followed by a video of the Lubavitcher Rebbe about the heroic act of a boy who later became the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe – the Rebbe Rayatz. This important episode lent special spiritual depth to everything that followed and reminded everyone that at the center of attention was not only the creative result but, above all, the education of children through vivid examples of Jewish courage, faithfulness to tradition, and devotion to Torah.
The structure of the celebration was carefully thought out, and the honoring of each class took place as a separate episode of the overall event. Class by class, the students took the stage in turn, recited two pesukim from the “Twelve Pesukim,” then the audience was shown the film prepared by that class, and after the screening, the children received certificates, report cards, and other well-deserved awards. This structure turned the entire festival not merely into a series of film screenings but into a true parade of achievements, in which each class could not only showcase the fruits of its labor but also become a full-fledged participant in a shared celebration, shared with parents, teachers, the Rebbe’s shluchim who came to the event, and numerous community members.
The main thematic foundation of the film festival was the films dedicated to outstanding Chassidim, whose lives and spiritual lessons the students sought to understand and convey through the language of cinema. Each class chose its own hero, its own genre, and its own tone. Thus, the first-grade students presented the fantasy film “The Power of a Chassid,” inspired by the figure of Reb Leizer Nanas, a man who remained faithful to Torah and mitzvos even in the most difficult circumstances. The second grade presented the pseudo-documentary film “In the Footsteps of Reb Itche” about Reb Itche der Masmid, who was known for his incredible consistency in the study of Torah and Chassidus; his life reminds us that true achievements are not born in a single day but through daily work and perseverance. The third grade showed the musical “The Partisan Rebbe” about Reb Zusha Vilimovsky, whose life became an example of complete devotion to the Rebbe’s directives and a readiness to act for the sake of a great goal without personal calculation. The fourth grade presented the comedy “The Sorcerers,” inspired by the story of Reb Shmuel Munkes, who knew how to combat arrogance, falsehood, and ostentatious self-importance through wisdom and humor. The fifth grade prepared the adventure film “The Chassid and the Secret of Existence” about Reb Shneur Zalman Gurarye, a man who dedicated his life to fulfilling the Rebbe’s mission and showed how to see purpose in one’s life and understand that every Jew is capable of changing the world around them. The sixth-graders tackled their creative task in the detective genre, titled “The Case of Avraham Mayor,” who became an example of selfless care for other Jews and boundless love for one’s fellow; this showed that sometimes the most important deeds are accomplished quietly and unnoticed. And the older students, grades 7-11, concluded the program with the historical epic “Look Forward,” dedicated to the legendary Chassid Reb Mendel Futerfas, whose life passed through trials, difficulties, and persecution, but nothing could weaken his connection to the Rebbe; this story teaches us to look forward, remain faithful to our values, and never lose inner strength.
However, the significance of these films lay not only in their genre diversity, acting, or directorial invention. Far more important was that each work became a way to convey a specific spiritual lesson derived from the life of its hero: faithfulness to Torah and mitzvos even in the most difficult circumstances, consistency in study, devotion to the Rebbe’s directives, the struggle against falsehood and arrogance, love for one’s fellow, inner resilience, and the ability to see a higher purpose in one’s life. This is why the film festival was not an entertainment addition to the end of the year but a special form of summarizing it – through the images, ideas, and examples that had animated the yeshiva throughout the entire school year.
The celebration was given special warmth by the moment honoring the teachers. One of the graduates, 11th-grade student Yosef Yitzchak Zhilin, presented the teachers with special gifts as a sign of gratitude for their work, care, and the immense heartfelt effort they invest in the education and upbringing of the students. Afterwards, the director of Yeshiva Ktana, Rebbetzin Chana Segal, presented awards to the teachers on behalf of the administration and the community, emphasizing that behind the children’s successes always stands the daily work of those who teach, guide, support, and help them grow in knowledge, in respect for Jewish tradition, in love for the Torah, and in good deeds.
The solemn conclusion of the celebration was the final part of the program, when all the students of Yeshiva Ktana came up on stage. Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki addressed all those present, congratulating the children, parents, teachers, and the entire community on the conclusion of the school year, and then personally awarded the ten best students who had memorized the greatest number of lines from the Tanya. This moment became the culmination of the entire celebration, once again emphasizing that at the center of Yeshiva Ktana’s life are not only external achievements and impressive performances but, above all, diligent work in study, a serious approach to Chassidic texts, perseverance, and the striving for spiritual growth. The conclusion of this part was a group commemorative photo.
“We wanted to create not just a concluding event and not just an annual creative occasion, but to show that creativity, the Jewish spirit, the ideas of Chassidus, and the use of modern technology can be united to achieve a common goal – to bring nachas to the Rebbe and demonstrate our achievements to the community,” emphasized Rebbetzin Chana Segal, director of Yeshiva Ktana. “It was very important for us to hold this event at Menorah not merely as an internal yeshiva event but as a great celebration for all the Jews of the city, emphasizing that our Yeshiva Ktana is not only grateful to the community for its support, care, and attention, but that we as an institution, and each of us as individuals, are an integral part of the great, united, and cohesive Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
P.S. This publication is a general report on the “Paths of the Chassidim” film festival. In the near future, we will offer our readers a separate feature dedicated to each of the festival films, where you will be able to view all the works of the young filmmakers and become more closely acquainted with the stories of the outstanding Chassidim who inspired the students to create these vibrant creative projects.
