Celebrating the Love and Care of My Zaporizhzhia Jewish Community
Against all odds, Clara S. escaped Nazi persecution and now lives a meaningful Jewish life in Ukraine.
By Clara S. - JDC Client; Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine | March 25, 2024
Clara S. was born into a vibrant Jewish village in Ukraine. But when she was just a young girl, she was forced to flee with her family to Kazakhstan, narrowly escaping Nazi violence. Decades later, Clara reclaimed the Jewish life she’d lost — connecting with the JDC-supported Hesed Michael social welfare center in Zaporizhzhia. We caught up with Clara, now 84, right before Purim, and she reflected on her Jewish past, her experience of the Second World War, and the boundless strength and resilience of Ukraine’s Jews today.

I have my own philosophy of life: Listen to your conscience and help others, and one day they will help you, too. It works — love and care always come back.
Back in Novozlatopol — the village I was raised in, and a major center for Jewish life before the Second World War — this principle was instilled in me.
I had more of a Jewish childhood than most of the people my age who grew up in the Soviet Union. I used to watch my mother baking matzah, and I could sit there for hours, observing her sift the flour and knead the dough. She had built a device from an old clock that had all these wheels and gears for making holes in the matzah. My grandparents often spoke Yiddish to her, though I didn’t understand what they were saying.
All of this ended abruptly when the Nazis invaded our village. My mother told me we had to flee our home to escape occupation and death — but all I really remember is that her lips were trembling as she said this.
We left for Kazakhstan by water, sailing the Volga. The barge right in front of us sank due to shelling — and we almost sank, too. It took a long time to get to Kazakhstan. We didn’t have potable water, so we drank from the river and hoped for the best. I got sick and even vomited blood.
My mother thought I wouldn’t survive the journey, but God had mercy. We later learned that everyone who hadn’t left our village in time — some 750 friends and community members — were murdered by the Nazis. Of course, as soon as the war ended, we returned home, making the arduous journey because our parents believed that, against all odds, our Jewish village would be reborn.
Today, I am the only one left from my large Jewish family. But I’m still here, trying to pass on the love I was given as a child to my Jewish community.
I found this community 20 years ago, when I first stepped into the JDC-supported Hesed Michael social welfare center in Zaporizhzhia. My sister had told me about it, and soon after joining, we returned to Novozlatopol for a visit.
There, we found a woman who had known our parents and grandparents. This moment changed our lives. It turned out that she was the only one in Novozlatopol who was connected to Hesed. She spoke to us at length about how grateful she was for JDC and the life-saving help it provided.
My sister and I left Novozlatopol convinced we’d made the right decision in seeking out Hesed Michael. We realized that the mutual care Jewish people give each other has no boundaries — this sense of support is strong, vital, and life-giving.
Two decades later, this conviction has only grown. I love everything that Hesed Michael does, and I’m grateful for all of the assistance they provide. Any support helps us survive and their care has brought us such comfort throughout the crisis in Ukraine. Food, material support, online clubs, homecare, and Jewish life — JDC and Hesed Michael give us all of this.
Perhaps no one is more important to me than Oksana, my wonderful JDC homecare worker. I can’t stop talking about her. I like to call her my “eyes,” because I can no longer see very well (though Hesed did help pay for surgery on my eyes — a complicated procedure, and one that I really needed). She is my window onto the world, the only person who has never left me, not even for a second.

My children work and have their own families and worries — they are busy and can’t always visit me. But Oksana has made it her mission to care for me. In the snow and the rain and sleet, she comes here and keeps me company, and when I need to go, she accompanies me to the doctor, guiding and protecting me.
She also provides emotional support. Whenever I read the news these days, I feel so sad and sick at heart. But Oksana calms me down and tells me something positive. I feel like we’ve become like family; I don’t want or need anyone else.
There are so many other Oksanas helping so many other Jewish seniors like me, and that’s all because of JDC and Hesed. They have only the kindest, most giving staff and volunteers — that must be why they’re able to care for us as well as they do.
I feel this same sense of care whenever I participate in Hesed Michael programs. Without the ability to socialize with other Jews, I would be very lonely and would likely have fallen into a terrible depression by now. In the evenings, I sometimes feel a touch of that deep sadness, but then I remember what I’m doing the next day — spending time with my friends at Hesed Michael — and I suddenly feel less alone.
Together with my friends and community, we survived the pandemic and we will survive this crisis. When our nightmare began more than two years ago, JDC never stopped conducting programs, and Oksana never stopped visiting me. In fact, their support only increased. I needed this. We all did. JDC is next to me, always.
And through Hesed Michael, I developed a new passion — making dolls. When I was caring for my granddaughter, I needed to keep her occupied while she was at home. So, I followed my mother’s example and made dolls from fabrics.
And that was just the start. At Hesed Michael, I joined a program where I learned to make Motanka dolls — a traditional Ukrainian doll — and little by little, this became my hobby. In just eight years, I have made about 3,000 fabric dolls. I give each one a name and imbue it with my positive energy.
These dolls are my way of loving and supporting my fellow Jews. After I make them, JDC volunteers deliver these dolls to orphanages and kindergartens. Many of these volunteers are members of the Active Jewish Teens (AJT) network, the JDC youth initiative in the former Soviet Union in partnership with BBYO. Sometimes, I even give my dolls to minibus drivers or people on the street. It’s gratifying to see how these dolls make other people happy. I love people, and I make these dolls for everyone.
I participate in a lot of online programs, but sometimes JDC comes to me. When volunteers and children arrive at my door, they are like a breath of fresh air. They give me warmth, and I reflect it back to them.
Together with my friends and community, we survived the pandemic and we will survive this crisis.
That’s why I love Hesed programs like “From Chanukah to Purim,” in which Jewish teens visit elderly Jews and we get to celebrate Shabbat together. When these younger Jews visit me on Friday — when I light candles, say the hamotzi, and eat the challah they’ve delivered — it inspires me and makes me feel included. (It’s also a chance for me to give away more dolls!) This program keeps me feeling young.
Now that Purim is almost here, I’m thinking about what us Jews have endured here in Ukraine. This holiday has a special significance for us — in the face of seemingly insurmountable circumstances, we are still here, and we smile because we no longer have the strength to suffer. Yes, fear and mental pain still overcome us. But I don’t have any tears left. Instead, I pray to my Jewish ancestors and ask them to protect us.
I don’t even want to think about life without programs like these or JDC and Hesed. They are always there for us. And I want to tell everyone that we are only alive with your support.
Years ago, my parents returned to Novozlatopol because they believed that Jewish life would prevail against all odds. Today — in the face of this crisis — Hesed, JDC, and the Claims Conference have helped us follow through on this promise. They love and support us.
And love and care always come back. Always.
Clara S., 84, is a JDC client in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. JDC’s care for Holocaust survivors like Clara across the former Soviet Union is made possible by the Claims Conference.
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