BBYO Ambassadors to Ukraine Reflection
Caroline Shrock
My great-grandparents were among the thousands of Jews who left Ukraine in the early 20th century to escape the Pogroms. All my life, I heard stories of Jews like my great-grandparents leaving Ukraine so I built up expectations that Ukrainian Jewry would be mostly quiet. Boy, was I wrong. On our first day in Kiev, I was shocked at how large, vibrant, and active Kiev’s Jewish community was. We saw how their Jewish community engages every generation from four-year olds in the JCC pre-school to 90-year olds receiving care from Jewish organizations like Hesed. I was humbled by the home visit we made to a 95-year old Jewish woman who receives support from the Jewish community. While speaking with her, I learned how Jews have played roles in all parts of Ukrainian society, whether it be the arts, sciences, government and more.
Before leaving for Ukraine, I was unsure what to expect from the Active Jewish Teens’ (AJT) conference. I was nervous about communicating with the European teens, scared that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the sessions because of the language barrier and didn’t know how I’d be able to make friends with non-English speakers. However, the atmosphere of the opening ceremonies alleviated all of my concerns. Seeing 400 teens from the former Soviet Union so excited to celebrate their Judaism that they literally could not sit still was contagious. Thier energy and enthusiasm made me so excited about the next few days. Eventhough I don’t speak a lick of Russian, the sessions throughout the weekend were fun because the people around me were having fun. I was surprised by how many teens I befriended and connected with throughout the conference. I was expecting the lack of a common language to be more of a barrier to conversation, but I came home with so many new friends from all over the former Soviet Union.
I realized that language barriers are not as harmful as we usually think; no matter what language we speak or where we’re from, music, traditions, dancing, and Google Translate have the power to connect us all.
As the days progressed, I felt more comfortable. I began to realize the value of our experience. 75 years ago, countless European families were decimated by the Holocaust. Throughout the weekend, I watched as the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those families celebrated their Judaism with the most enthusiasm I’ve ever seen. Sitting at Shabbat dinner with teens from Russia, Ukraine, and Israel, I realized how important our work is at BBYO. We have the power to build experiences through our heritage with a network of thousands of teens around the world. All we have to do is extend a hand.
Now that I’m home, I know that I have a lot of work to do. During the conference, BBYO was met with such excitement and eagerness for more. It’s our duty to help Alephs and B’nai B’rith Girls in every community meet and connect with one another other to feel a sense of global Jewish responsibility. I hope to work with my brothers and sisters to strengthen the ties between AJT and BBYO so that we can ensure a long-lasting and vibrant relationship between our sister organizations. My experience in Ukraine taught me that Judaism in my hometown is not any different from Judaism in Kiev. At the end of the day, we’re just family.
Get The Shofar’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Caroline Shrock
73rd International Mazkirah of the B’nai B’rith Girls
Gold Coast Region
