At “Beit Baruch,” a unique social institution of the Jewish Community of Dnipro, a grand festive concert took place dedicated to the 83rd anniversary of the liberation of the city from Nazi occupation. The festive program featured the residents of the Home for the Elderly, the participants of its creative studio, and the students of the Jewish Lyceum No. 144 named after Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, a leading educational institution of the Jewish Community of Dnipro.
On October 25, 1943, Dnipro, then called Dnipropetrovsk, was liberated from the Nazi invaders. This date holds a special place in the historical memory of the city, which endured years of occupation, the mass murder of civilians, and the destruction of a significant part of the Jewish population. For the residents of “Beit Baruch,” who belong to the older generation, the preservation of the memory of these events holds special significance, and the participation of children and youth transforms the turn to history into a direct connection between generations.
For the commemorative date, the creative studio of “Beit Baruch,” under the direction of Rivka Lazareva, prepared a literary-musical composition titled “Unbreakable Dnipro,” which combined poetry, music, and songs dedicated to the native city, its history, its unbreakability, and love for the native land. The residents of the Home not only became spectators of the festive concert but also performed as its direct participants, investing their own feelings and emotions into the prepared program.
A special event of the celebration was the arrival of the students of grades 2-A, 3-A, 6-A, and 7-A of the Jewish Lyceum, who prepared their own creative performances. In the children’s performance, poems by Maria Poznanska, Lina Kostenko, and Vasyl Symonenko were recited, songs were sung, and dance numbers were presented. Thus, the festive program united the creativity of the older generation and the young lyceum students, for whom participation in such gatherings becomes an important component of cultivating respect for history and care for the elderly.
The organizers of the lyceum students’ performance were the educators Svitlana Palyukh and Viktoria Pliner. A special role in conducting the concert was played by Viktoria Pliner, who was the host of the children’s part of the program and also helped the residents of “Beit Baruch” perform the songs that were part of the literary-musical composition “Unbreakable Dnipro,” and thanks to this the gathering became not two separate parts of a concert but a shared celebration, in which participants of different generations not only performed before one another but also together created its unique atmosphere.
The gathering was accompanied by sincere emotions, tears of joy, warm words, and gratitude. Of special significance was the very attention of the young guests to the elderly people, the opportunity for communication, and the feeling that they are remembered, that they are surrounded by care, and that they remain an inseparable part of the great communal family.
The shared celebration at “Beit Baruch” became yet another example of how the various institutions of the Jewish Community of Dnipro interact with one another, combining care for the older generation with the education of the young. For the lyceum students, this is not only an opportunity to demonstrate their creative abilities but also an important experience of fulfilling the mitzvah of honoring the elderly, of showing mercy and responsibility before people who especially need attention and support. For the residents of the Home, such gatherings become a confirmation that they are surrounded by the care and love of the entire community.
“For our residents, the arrival of the children became a true celebration that gave them so much joy, warmth, and hope,” noted Malvina Ruvinskaya, director of “Beit Baruch.” “We sincerely thank the lyceum students, their educators, and everyone who helped organize this wonderful gathering, for such events are of enormous significance not only for the elderly people but also for the children themselves, who learn to understand the value of human participation, to respect the older generation, and to preserve historical memory. It is precisely in this that the special strength of our community is manifested – a community that unites different generations into one great family, where every person feels their significance and the support they need. We are happy that such care and attention are an inseparable part of the activity of the united and cohesive Jewish Community of Dnipro under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
