Workers of Jewish community centers of the world - let's unite!" - such a slogan could quite fit the organization JCC Global, which is engaged in establishing interpersonal relations among people engaged in the development of community centers in different countries. To this end, conferences are held in different parts of the world for participants, where new projects and ideas are born, and the Jewish spirit is strengthened. The CIS territory is poorly represented at these events, but the charisma and perseverance of the director of the Hesed Besht Jewish Community Center, Igor Ratushny, allowed representatives of the Thiya Community Center to participate in the Budapest Congress.
The conference in Hungary discussed the issues of building community centers and establishing connections for joint implementation of programs and projects. In general, the JCC Global conference is not like any other conference or seminar. The peculiarity of the meetings is that participants are not just invited to get to know each other, but are actually forced to communicate! This approach allows us to better understand the general mood in the Jewish community and individual situations in different countries. The global exchange of experience determines the progress of the work as a whole.
The four days spent in Budapest were informative, useful and fruitful. The delegates were introduced to the vibrant life of the Jewish community of this ancient city. In addition to viewing the architectural, religious and historical monuments left by the community, the participants also felt the negative factors that currently prevail in Hungary. It is about the rise from the knees of the once suppressed fascism, which is now taking root in Hungarian society.
But the most important process that took place at the conference was team building among the participants of the gathering. Each of the delegates could propose a progressive idea for implementation among the community centers. As a result, those ideas that found more followers and supporters were accepted for consideration by JCC Global. And the participants formed teams that will interact and implement the planned in their countries and community centers.
Representatives of the Thia Community Center joined a group of people from France, the USA, Israel and Venezuela. A media project involving the use of modern technologies will be implemented among our youth and teenagers. The project is currently under discussion, its leaders are conducting a dialogue on the Internet and clarifying the details. Participation in the project's activities will allow our young people to find friends abroad, establish communication with peers from other countries and communities. Young visitors to the teenage club at the Thia Community Center are already ready for implementation, and students of the Chernivtsi Jewish school have also become interested in the project. When all the provisions are agreed upon, the project will be presented to the general public.
The impressions from communicating with foreign colleagues left mixed impressions. On the one hand, our people were convinced that things are going quite well in our community: we have something to be proud of, something to show and something to surprise our colleagues from the “first world” countries. But on the other hand, the financial support of our community centers is so small that, for example, a colleague from the UK sincerely sympathized with our fortunes. We hope that new acquaintances will bring new ways of development for the community and the Hesed Besht Foundation. In addition, our representatives invited all participants of the JCC Global conference to visit. Therefore, it is not surprising if we soon meet colleagues in our community.
