Saving Ukrainian Teens

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Hadassah CEO Naomi Adler (front row, fourth from the left, wearing a black sweater) with Na’ale students who came from Russia and Ukraine

Saving Ukrainian Teens

Israel’s Hadassah Youth Villages undertakes an emergency effort to save youth.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Agroup of Ukrainian students were scheduled to arrive at Hadassah Youth Aliyah Villages in Israel in September. However, the onset of a vicious and bloody war between Ukraine and Russia pushed them to arrive nearly six months ahead of schedule.

As of the most recent count, 21 high school-age Ukrainian teens arrived at Hadassah’s two youth villages, Neurim and Meir Shfeyah, between March and April. Before the war broke out, they had begun the application process to come to the villages, which provide services like education and vocational training, in addition to teaching youth about Judaism, but the timeline was quickly accelerated to transport them to safety.

Teen participants, who previously arrived prepared, making the journey to Israel with clothing, goods, basic necessities, and even sometimes spending money, are now arriving with just the clothes on their backs. Some come with their families, who shelter in Israel. Many, however, don’t know where their families are. They have parents in transit out of Ukraine, stuck in Ukraine or relatives that they’ve lost contact with all together.

Instead of arriving as youth ready to learn, Ukrainian teens now arrive as refugees.

“We have had hundreds of students in our two villages who have come from the former Soviet Union,” explains Marcie Natan, national chair of youth aliyah and former national president of Hadassah. “We’ve always referred to them as FSU students.”

Nancy Bluth, a member of Hadassah’s youth aliyah team philanthropy division and past region president of Hadassah Greater Detroit, says it’s impossible to fully understand the trauma and uncertainty the Ukrainian teens arriving are going through.

“What we can do is give them a safe haven, counseling, some sense of normalcy and belonging,” she says. “Our efforts provide critical support to help restore trust, security and a sense of well-being.”

A HOME IN ISRAEL

Prior to the war, students who arrived at Hadassah Youth Aliyah Villages were thoroughly vetted and prepared. Many grew up in non-practicing households and wanted to make a connection with their Jewish roots in Israel. The villages have long held special programs geared specifically for the needs of Jewish youth from the former Soviet Union, most of whom never engaged with Judaism due to cultural restrictions.

Yet for the foreseeable future, any Ukrainian youth who arrive at the youth villages will remain in Israel. “We’re

Ukrainian refugees shopping for new clothing in Israel

“WHAT WE CAN DO IS GIVE THEM A SAFE HAVEN, COUNSELING, SOME SENSE OF NORMALCY AND BELONGING.”

— NANCY BLUTH, PAST REGION PRESIDENT OF HADASSAH OF GREATER DETROIT

Ukrainian students in Youth Village

not sending any of them home,” Natan says. Many of these teens, however, no longer have a home, their cities destroyed in the war. Instead, they’ll spend extended time at the villages and, if needed, will receive the support of an Israeli family willing to shelter them if no relatives or family friends are currently in Israel.

Typically, youth in these villages experience the benefits of returning home for things like Passover break. They have opportunities to phone home and speak with family.

Neither of these things, however, are now possible for most youth.

Some teens living in the villages came from Russia before the war and can’t reach their relatives because of communication restrictions imposed by the Russian government. It’s a situation that’s difficult and heartbreaking for students and staff alike, prompting Hadassah to make mental health a priority throughout the duration of the crisis.

“That’s what these kids are dealing with,” Natan says.

ARRIVING TO A WARM WELCOME

Teens who arrive at the villages are referred by the Jewish Agency and Ministry of Education. All were applicants for the September 2022 program, now accelerated to accommodate the ongoing emergency and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. While a typical timeline to enter the villages includes a thorough evaluation of needs and suitability, the biggest focus right now is to simply save lives.

“We need to hire counselors and teachers,” Bluth says, “and purchase personal items, clothing, and furnishings and equipment for our refugees’ lodging.”

An interview process has already begun to learn about medical, educational and emotional needs of Ukrainian teens seeking refuge at the youth villages. In the meantime, every effort is made to normalize their lives and create a sense of stability. Kids arrive to a warm welcome, comfortable accommodations and even Shabbat dinner.

They take trips to the mall, go bowling on nice days and meet other youth. Ukrainian teens are supplied with laptops and various personal items. They’re not much different from other teens who arrived in better days, except for the tragic reasons they’ve left their homes behind, some of whom may never be able to return to Ukraine.

Yet small miracles continue to happen when they’re least expected. While shopping for bedding for a Ukrainian teenage refugee who had just arrived at one of the youth village dorms, a staff member accidentally purchased some sheets and blankets that struck resonance with many, bringing a few close to tears.

“I pointed out that the bedding was blue and yellow,” Natan recalls. “The colors of the Ukrainian flag.”