Dec 13, 2021

Chanukah Celebrations in Ukraine Reach Far and Wide

“I was a teenager — just the age of these young people that brought me this wonderful gift — when the war began,” said Olga Dozorets, a 96-year-old resident of Mykolayiv, Ukraine. “It was a miracle to survive it. Now it is another miracle to feel the sweetness and light of Chanukah.” Leading up to the holiday, Federation overseas partner the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the local Jewish community center helped spread the joy of Chanukah by organizing volunteers to help pack and deliver holiday boxes to nearly 100 older adults and at-risk children in the neighborhood. Working together, they amassed more than 130 pounds of homemade sufganiyot (donuts), tea boxes, handmade soaps, candy, gifts and cards made by local children. AJT (Active Jewish Teens) volunteers, JDC’s teen network in the former Soviet Union, distributed the festive packages, offering care and companionship to recipients. Click here to learn more about Federation’s work overseas.