The latest gathering in the “Rosh Chodesh Club” program for girls participating in the Dnipro Jewish Community’s youth project “DJCY-STL-STARS Dnipro,” supported by STL, was dedicated to an important date in the month of Tevet – the Fast of the 10th of Tevet and its profound spiritual significance.
During the meeting, led by one of the beloved teachers of “DJCY-STL-STARS Dnipro,” Mrs. Chaya Nachshon, the participants discussed the historical event underlying this fast – when the enemy laid siege to Jerusalem. It was emphasized that this very moment marked the beginning of a tragic chain of events that later led to the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, as the permitted “siege” opened the path to further downfall. This lesson was brought into the realm of a person’s personal life, where the “siege of the city” was viewed as a metaphor for the thoughts a person allows into their consciousness.
The conversation explored how crucial it is to stop negative, destructive thoughts immediately, not allowing them to take root and translate into actions. The participants were given clear examples of how the path from fantasy to action can be very short if an internal boundary is not set in time. It was stressed that this is precisely what the Fast of the 10th of Tevet teaches. This fast is considered the strictest and is observed even when it falls on a Friday, affecting the sanctity of Shabbos. Parallels were also drawn with contemporary events, demonstrating how relevant this lesson of responsibility and inner vigilance remains today.
The practical part of the meeting was a cozy cup-decorating workshop, symbolically connected to the winter month of Tevet, a time following Chanukah when warmth, homey comfort, and inner focus are especially important. The workshop organically complemented the substantive part of the gathering and helped create a warm, trusting atmosphere.
“Such meetings help the girls not only understand the meaning of Jewish dates and traditions more deeply but also see how these ideas can be applied in daily life,” shares the head of the “DJCY-STL-STARS Dnipro” project, Chaya Maltseva. “The informal format, heartfelt communication, creative activity, and deep content of the conversation create a special atmosphere of closeness and mutual understanding. It helps them feel the world of authentic Yiddishkeit and realize they are part of a large Jewish family – a united and close-knit Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of its Chief Rabbi, Shmuel Kaminezki.”
