A special event—the “Store” initiative for students in grades 7-11—took place at Machon “Chaya-Mushka,” the leading educational institution for girls in the Dnipro Jewish Community. The initiative was part of the educational program “Shura Rishona” and served as a tangible, practical continuation of the project’s systematic work in fostering responsibility, conscious choice, and personal engagement among each student.
For a month, participants in the program worked with individual mission letters, completed assigned tasks, and earned points, which they could later exchange at the “Store” for interesting and desired items. This format allowed the girls not only to experience the joy of reward but also to see a direct and clear connection between their own efforts, consistent actions, and the positive changes they bring to real life.
The “Store” initiative fits organically into the overall logic of the “Shura Rishona” program, implemented in the Machon as an integrated educational space where spiritual values, the Chassidic concept of responsibility, and daily practice are not separated but mutually reinforce each other. This helps each girl gradually understand the significance of her own decisions and actions.
“This is an important pedagogical method of rewarding positive deeds, which creates a stable positive connection between a good action and receiving gratification. The ‘Store’ format gives each student the opportunity to make a conscious choice and motivates her to intensify her efforts to gain more opportunities,” notes Mora Shayna Smilyanska. “When a child sees that every action has consequences, that responsibility and perseverance bear fruit, it fosters internal maturity and a true understanding of the Jewish path. It is precisely in this way, step by step, that a generation is being raised which will become an integral part of the unified and cohesive Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of the Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
