(Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Krivoi Rog, Donetsk, and Kyiv) Report of a ...

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the program is very expensive to operate because it must provide transportation to
children, many of whom live some distance away from the building.
The Jewish community center program caters to about 1,000 individuals from
childhood through middle age, said Mr. Botvinnik. It emphasizes music, dance, art, and
various clubs or interest groups. (The writer, who visited the facility late in the
afternoon, saw several children’s ballet classes in progress, as well as some children
entering the building with musical instruments. The writer also visited a Mazel Tov
program, a group of mothers with small children at play in a well-equipped room; in
addition to providing play experiences, the program also taught participating young
mothers about various childcare issues.)
Kyiv
Situated on both banks of the Dnipr River in the northern part of the country, the origins
of Kyiv are lost in antiquity. It is, however, known as the “mother of all Russian cities,”
long pre-dating cities in Russia itself. Kyivan Rus – the city and territories around it - is
considered the forerunner of the modern Russian state. In 988, Prince Volodymyr of
Kyiv designated Orthodox (Byzantine rite) Christianity as the state religion of Russia
and established its seat in Kyiv. Kyivan Rus attained its greatest powers in the eleventh
and twelfth centuries when it was a trading center between the Baltic and
Mediterranean seas. Sacked by Mongols in 1240, the lands of Kyivan Rus were
successively under Tatar, Lithuanian, and Polish control from the fourteenth century and
then annexed by Russia in 1686. The third largest city in the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics, Kyiv was occupied and almost completely destroyed by German forces
between September 1941 and November 1943.
Now the capital of independent Ukraine, Kyiv is the political hub of the country and an
important center of Ukrainian commerce, industry, culture, and education. Increasingly,
prominent businessmen from other parts of the country are relocating to Kyiv in order to
be close to government, national financial institutions, and other critical national
organizations. It is as well a magnet for
younger people wishing to build careers
in post-Soviet Ukraine. The 2011
population of the city is estimated at 2.8
million.
Densely packed new apartment buildings
are typical of new developments on the east
bank of the Dnipr River.
Photo:
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=kiev+images&
hl=en&sa=X&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-
SearchBox&tbm=isch&tbnid=X97vp_ECxf2FhM.
Retrieved July 24, 2011.