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Published on 09/08/1999 All articles from this issue

Beth Am teens travel to the Ukraine, share Judaism and bridge cultural gap

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By Wendy Marinaccio

Special to the Town Crier

American and Ukrainian teens shared their cultural and religious experiences with Judaism for two weeks in August, when five Bay Area girls traveled to the Ukraine.

"My great-grandparents came from Russia and the Ukraine," said Sophie Roberts, 16, a member of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills. "The thought of going back and finding my roots was a great opportunity."

The American teens toured in Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine. They spent nine days at a Jewish summer camp, where they made many Ukrainian friends and bonded with each other.

At the camp the American teens taught a four-day program about similarities and differences between the two cultures. "It was an interactive thing," Roberts said. "They would ask questions of us, and we'd ask questions of them. It was a good experience for both of us," she said.

Two of the Americans could speak Russian, and many of the Ukrainians understood English, Roberts said.

"It's such a different country," Roberts said. "Life and opportunities are different." For example, there are many different choices and opportunities for college in the United States but not in the Ukraine.

The teens also noticed differences in practicing religion between the two countries. "Most of us have a very high sense of Jewish identity," Roberts said of the traveling Americans, but "(the Ukrainian teens') parents grew up in a time of so much anti-Semitism. So there's almost a fear. I don't think there is much offered in terms of Jewish education," she said.

Fellow traveler Julia Szejnwald, 16, of Los Altos, said she thinks the Americans helped promote Judaism in the Ukraine. "They kind of looked up to us, in a way," she said. "We knew all the prayers at the services and were obviously more educated in Jewish religion."

After the camp, the Ukrainians "had a stronger Jewish faith. I'd like to think part of that was thanks to us," Szejnwald said.

"It taught me a lot about myself," she said of the trip. "They have so much less than us, but that doesn't mean they're less content with their lives ... Things like family mean more to them," Szejnwald said.

"What I discovered is America is so much more materialistic," Roberts said. "We put so much emphasis on material goods - people in the Ukraine put importance on family and life."

Roberts, Szejnwald, Jackie Wayntrub, Anna Tepermeyster and Anna Nepomnyaschy returned from the Ukraine Aug. 16. The five girls are members of either Congregation Beth Am or the Palo Alto Jewish Community Center.

The teens were selected for the expense-paid trip based on their experiences and interest in Jewish identity and culture, background in Jewish education and programs, familiarity with Hebrew and formal training in Judaism. The goal was to understand their cultural and religious connection to the Ukraine and help teens in the Ukraine build a better understanding of Judaism.

The trip was sponsored in large part by an $11,000 donation from the Koret Foundation, a Jewish-sponsored charity based in San Francisco. The Jewish Family Resource Center and Bay Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal, groups that hope to build an appreciation and understanding of Judaism, were also involved.

- Donna Semelmaker contributed to this story.