A large-scale student seminar of the STARS Ukraine project, supported by Jewish Relief Network Ukraine, was held in the Dnipro Jewish Community. It united Jewish students from various Ukrainian cities – Kyiv, Odesa, Poltava, Kharkiv, Chernivtsi, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and, of course, Dnipro. Several intense days were dedicated to the deep study of Jewish identity, understanding one’s own belonging to the Jewish people, and searching for practical forms of expressing this connection in modern life.
The central theme of the seminar was Jewish pride – not as an abstract feeling or slogan, but as a conscious understanding of one’s origins, the historical path of the Jewish people, and the responsibility for continuing this chain. Throughout the sessions, participants examined in detail where the Jewish people come from, how they managed to survive for millennia despite persecution, exile, and assimilationist pressure, and what specifically can and should be a subject of Jewish pride today. Special attention was paid to how an internal sense of identity should translate into concrete actions, primarily the performance of mitzvahs and active participation in Jewish community life.
The seminar’s educational program was led by experienced lecturers – Rebbetzin Chana Kaminezki; Rabbis Dan Makohon, David Vaskovsky, Akiva Romanovsky; as well as teachers from the “DJCY-STL-STARS Dnipro” project Daniela and Moishe Listengurt and Chaya Maltseva. Each contributed to forming a holistic vision of the seminar’s theme, combining textual study, personal experience, and lively dialogue with the students. Special mention should be made of the particular contribution to the seminar’s success by one of the most beloved teachers of the “DJCY-STL-STARS Dnipro” project, Yosef Nachshon, who not only taught but also took upon himself the organization of the entire learning process, the selection of session topics, and constant support for the participants throughout the seminar.
The seminar’s program included not only intensive learning but also elements of informal communication and joint leisure activities. Besides lessons, participants went to an ice rink, visited a brewery, and a sauna, which contributed to a warm, friendly atmosphere and strengthened bonds among students from different cities.
One of the touching and significant moments of the seminar was a student from Poltava receiving the Jewish name Dalia – an event that became an emotional and spiritual point of contact with the deep meanings of what was happening for many participants.
A special place in the program was occupied by preparation for Shabbos. Before its onset, the girls, together with Rebbetzin Chana Kaminezki, studied the mitzvah of separating challah, learning about its content and significance in Jewish tradition. After this, the participants went to the mikvah, about which our website will publish a separate story.
Shabbos passed in an atmosphere of joy and rich content. Throughout the day, there were game programs with madrichim, words of Torah were heard during meals from the madrichim and the seminar participants themselves, and a training session on the topic of shidduch was held with Chaya Maltseva. This conversation about building a future family proved to be particularly important and personal for many – participants received concrete recommendations and were able to understand what questions about themselves they need to answer to successfully solve this most important task facing everyone entering adult life.
Motzei Shabbos was marked by a themed party in a “corporate” format, where each participant represented a certain profession. The evening was fun and dynamic, with interactive activities, awards for the most active students, and a general atmosphere of joy and unity.
The seminar’s final day, Sunday, was dedicated to a serious and relevant topic – preventive behavior and protection against antisemitism. Despite the complexity and triggering nature of this issue, the discussion was lively and engaged, and the lecture itself generated great interest among all participants.
The concluding point of the seminar was a meeting with the Chief Rabbi of Dnipro and the region, Shmuel Kaminezki. He met all the students, gave a short lesson dedicated to mindfulness and a person’s choice in the modern world, and, adhering to the good tradition of all seminars, treated the participants to chocolate. This simple yet very warm gesture became, for the students who came from other cities, another symbol of the care, attention, and that special atmosphere that distinguishes the Dnipro Jewish Community.
