Tens of thousands of special and sweet holiday kits, for both body and soul, have been distributed with love to families and individuals across Russia and Belarus in honor of the festival of Rosh Hashanah. The joyful packages, an initiative of the Federation of Jewish Communities (FJC) in collaboration with the Jewish communities and Chabad emissaries in the former Soviet Union, contain a deluxe gift box, premium honey, an Israeli honey cake, a new and customized calendar, a content booklet from JLI in Russian, bottles of grape juice, a magnetic board with Shabbat candle-lighting times, and a special greeting letter from the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar.

“Days before the new year,” stated the FJC administration, “this is a great opportunity to strengthen and empower the special connection of the country’s Jews to Yiddishkeit and to give them a gift that is both practical and especially sweet. Like Jews worldwide, the Jews of Russia and Belarus are also praying for a new year of blessing and salvation and are hoping for days of peace and tranquility.”

With the assistance of rabbis and Jewish community leaders, a distribution network—comprised of volunteers, deliveries, and distribution centers—was established to ensure that every Jewish family, including individuals and the lonely, would receive the kit.

“The High Holidays,” added the FJC administration, “have a special significance in the eyes of FSU Jewry. They resemble the eternal connection of every individual Jew to his roots and heritage, despite any difficulty or challenge, even at the worst of times. Thanks to the  special kits, celebrating Rosh Hashanah, has become practical and doable.”