Translated from Hebrew as “Ray of Light”, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine’s ‘Keren Or’ initiative extend special support to Ukraine’s Jewish community towards the holiday of Shavuot taking place under the shadow of the COVID19 pandemic — which made the already uneasy life of Ukraine’s Jews — even more challenging. The festival of Shavuot commemorates the gifting of the Torah by the Almighty to the Jewish nation at Mount Sinai, some 3,333 years ago.

Thousands of special protective packages, including vitamins, masks, gloves, and disinfectants, were distributed to Jewish families, individuals, and elderly people all over Ukraine and from all walks of life. In addition, the packages contained items of cultural value — such as informational booklets on Shavuot and Jewish traditions; cards with religious material printed on them — such as the Yizkor prayer and the ten commandments; special holiday recipes; and Shavuot-themed children’s games and puzzles.

The director of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, Rabbi Meir Stambler, commented; “We are continuing the success that was begun last Passover, and we will continue to assist all our activists in this important project in the coming months.”

The project took place in cooperation with the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS.