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

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Other than persistent funding problems, Mr. Akselrud said that one of the most
significant issues facing Hillel at this point is a clear loss of interest among Hillel
students in Jewish educational programs. When Hillel was first organized in the
early 1990’s, he continued, students seemed to have an almost limitless appetite for
Jewish education – Jewish tradition, Jewish ritual, Jewish music, Jewish history, and
almost every other aspect of Jewish education. Some current students, he
acknowledged, are veterans of Jewish camps and other educational programs, which
certainly was not the case 15 years ago. Perhaps they already know as much as they
want to know, although not all students have not had these formative experiences. He
also believes that new recreational opportunities, such as bowling and student-oriented
nightclubs, are competing for student time. He has organized a committee of education
experts, many from the Jewish Agency and the Joint Distribution Committee, to study
this issue and advise Hillel on new Jewish education programs that will be appealing to
contemporary Jewish young people. Mr. Akselrud noted that he is trying to work closely
with JAFI, JDC, and Nativ (formerly, the Liaison Bureau), overcoming past rivalries and
animosities. However, the relationship with JDC now is much different than it used to
be; JDC no longer is the financial agent for Hillel, a separation that has facilitated new
partnerships with others who might not have wanted to work with JDC or a JDC affiliate.
Another issue, continued Mr. Akselrud, is that the Taglit program, as valuable as it is,
sometimes seems to be taking over Hillel. Hillel CASE organized 10 Taglit trips in 2010
from its region, he said, and Hillel has become a travel agency in doing the necessary
planning for these journeys. On the other hand, he lamented, Hillel lacks funding to do
appropriate follow-up programming with Taglit participants upon their return to
Ukraine. He fears that some of the benefits accruing to Taglit dissipate due to lack of
follow-up with tour members.
Mr. Akslerud observed that he also is struggling with several personnel issues,
including replacing a Hillel director in a major city. Political infighting among Hillel staff
members was a problem in some areas, he added.
In response to a question, Mr. Akselrud said that Ukrainian Hillel students enjoy working
with counterpart Hillel students from the United States and other countries and are
pleased to host such groups when they come to Ukraine. Both New York and Israeli
Hillel students visited Hillel groups in Kyiv and Odesa in 2010-2011, and the New York
groups were guests of Lviv Hillel as well.
CASE and Russian Hillel students were eligible for a new selective-entry Holocaust-
related program this year, stated Mr. Akselrud. Those who had shown particular
interest in the Holocaust were invited to participate in a special Holocaust seminar in
Lithuania, he said. The seminar required pre-seminar orientation sessions and was
funded by the Genesis Philanthropic Group and led by Yad Vashem.