Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

David Harris

Sasha’s story reminds me of my daughter-in-law, Irina’s story. When Irina was 17 years old, she left her parents and younger sister Vlada, in Reyzan, Russia and moved to Israel with the assistance of the Jewish Agency (through the same program as Sasha). She lived in an absorption center when she first arrived. Eventually, she enrolled at Tel Aviv University and completed a degree to become an English teacher. It was at Tel Aviv University that she met our son Jeremy. They were eventually married and now live here in Cincinnati with their two daughters, Masha and Bella.

Of course, we are grateful for what the Jewish Agency did for Irina and others like her from all over the world. Donors to the Jewish Federation need to be aware of how many people are impacted by their gifts. The young people assisted by the Jewish Agency become the future of Israel and the Jewish people.

These young people are our children and grandchildren, and for Kathy and I, we mean that literally.  —Fred and Kathy Kanter. Fred is a former Federation board member and a former campaign chair.

Story courtesy of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
 
Sasha (Alexandra) was born and raised in the city of Chernihiv in Northern Ukraine. From an early age she became very curious about her Jewish identity and Israel and wanted to experience more.

There were very few opportunities for her to learn and so, at age 18, she made the difficult decision—to leave her country, language, home, family, friends, and all that was familiar to her, and come to Israel on the Jewish Agency SELA program (SELA – an abbreviation for “Students Before Parents”).
 
She arrived in our center in Karmiel on September 2015 and though she greatly missed her family and faced many challenges, she very quickly learned Hebrew, made new friends, and excelled in her studies. It was clear that Sasha has a huge heart—she was the first to volunteer and assist and even took upon herself to assist the small children of the new olim families at the center.

At the end of the program, out of the some 200 olim participating, Sasha was among the four recognized as an excelling student and received the honor of the Alon Bakal z’l scholarship.
 
After completing SELA and alone in Israel, Sasha made another brave decision to join the army as a lone soldier. We recommended to Sasha that she begin our Garin Tzabar program for lone olim soldiers which takes place in our center in Raanana.
 
Sasha joined the program in summer 2016 and was soon drafted to the army, succeeding in being accepted to 

the prestigious course for IDF Educators. Not only was she—the new immigrant barely more than a year in Israel—accepted to the course, but this week, she completed it with distinction.

Though honored, Sasha felt sad as she prepared for the ceremony. She knew that all her friends at the course would have their family and friends there to cheer them on. Who would she, the lone soldier, have there?
 
Turns out that not only did her counselors from Karmiel and Raanana arrive, but her family  did the unimaginable and flew from Ukraine to Israel to surprise her! At the moment she was awarded the honor, they ran onto the ceremonial stage and embraced her, right there in front of her commanders and all the soldiers!
 

This Passover will be very special — the first for Sasha as a proud Israeli soldier defending the freedom of her people, the first for her family to celebrate in Israel together, and the first in which it is absolutely clear to her and her family that miracles do happen, every day.
 
And we at the Jewish Agency, with your help, can play a small part in making them happen. Happy Passover!

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The Jewish Agency for Israel and its SELA and Garin Tzabar programs are three of over fifty programs and agencies funded in part by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.

The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati: We look at the whole picture, taking into account the diverse needs of the entire community. Together we can do almost anything.
 
Thanks to you and the help of our partner agency, Sasha has a strong Jewish identity and a strong future in front of her.