The Festival of lights is over. This festival took place in each Jewish home and touched every Jewish family.
For the 7th year in a raw Charity Campaign «Hope4Hanukkah» involves those who are lonely, those who have nobody next to them to share the joy of Hanukkah. The number of cities where this Action takes place is increasing and new volunteers join year by year.
Modest one-time initiative started by Victoria Godik, Co-Chair of the Committee of the Diplomatic Corps of the World Jewish Congress (then EUJS Vice-President and Head of UUJS), and Julia Goldenberg, Chairman of the Board of the All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation “To You”, this year involved more than five hundred people in need.
All 8 days of Hanukkah action participants were looking forward to the guests, some of them already have their own favorite volunteers, who visit them annually throughout the life of the project.
One month prior to the project initiators were contacted by those who did want to visit elderly, to light Hanukkah candles with them, to remind them about the traditions of this Holiday, to listen to memories of those who would be visited and to find out what their life is about now. Those, who had no possibility to visit elderly but still had some time, were helping to pack holiday food sets and donated funds to purchase foodstuff and Hanukkah sets.
Project initiators received more than 100 thankful calls from action participants after the visits.
Simon Makhlin, who celebrated his 92-birthday during this Hanukkah called and stated: “When your volunteers entered my flat they brought very special bright light with them. This light stayed with me all days of the Holiday!”
Starting with the 1st candle (December 2) Facebook news feeds was full with volunteers’ stories. One had a feeling that he / she was able to visit each of the houses not only in Kyiv, but in Lvov and Khmelnitsky, Ternopil and Chernigiv, Cherkassy and Mirgorod
Dear friends, we would like to thank each of you for bringing the fest to our clients and to all Jews of Ukraine! We address those who sacrified their time, part of heart and soul, and to those who irrespectively of all economic difficulties shared our expenses.
Special words of gratitude go to Avis – Ukraine.
We have no possibility to change the whole world but do have the possibility to introduce some light and warmth into somebody’s life. Thus in a year we will light miraculous Hanukkah candles all together once again!
#hope4hanukkah
