October 7-14 were the dates when all the Jewish organizations of the city were united under one theme – the theme of the festival named “Days of Israel and Jewish Culture”. The organizer of the event was Israeli Cultural Center. Hesed Shaarey Tzion, Migdal and Beit Grand JCCs both presented their programs in the city locations and under their own roofs.
- AJT activist from Migdal JCC Anya Tismenets was the leader of the open dancing class, to which all Odessians and city guests were invited. The master class was run on October 10 on one of the central squares of Odesa. Some 50 people took part in the event and most of all they enjoyed singing Hava Nagila and dancing to the songs of the Israeli Netta Barzilay – the winner of Eurovisoin-2018.
- On October 12 Migdal JCC joined the simultaneous Shabbat action, when Shabbat was welcomed in 4 Jewish organizations of the city at the same time. Some 50 JCC members gathered in one of the Kosher restaurants of the city and spent Shabbat together, in a family atmosphere and enjoying a festive Kosher meal. Shabbat was held in the frame of the project “Lecha Dodi”
More than 60 kids were special invitees to Migdal-Shorashim Museum of History of Odesa Jews (one of the programs of Migdal JCC) on October 14. The Museum held “A Children’s Day”. Staff of the Museum and AJT volunteers of the JCC held an interactive tour of the facility, where in each hall of the museum the visitors were welcomed by interesting personalities such as a cleaning person in an Odesa courtyard (the main person in the old times), a rabbi, a Jewish mother, a cartoon character, and even Alexander Pushkin (who had lived in Odesa for some time). The young guests learned about Odesa courtyards and way of life in the old times (when all the residents were like one family with their grieves and joys), the Odesa monuments, the architecture of the city, etc.
The kids participated in interactive games on the history of Odesa, master-classes in bouquets-making, and degustation of Jewish cuisine dishes. The tried to guess the meaning and usage of house utensils and other home things that are not used any longer and can be found in museums only, such as the patefon (an old time CD-player), scales, coffee-grinder, wash-basin for doing laundry, etc. At each competition and quiz the children got a certain number of points and then all of them were given prizes depending on their results.
