Jewish education and Yiddishkeit is at the heart of all of the Migdal’s programs. Since the beginning of the pandemic and then the war in Ukraine that started on February 24, 2022, Migdal had to adapt very quickly to drastically changed reality, so it could continue its very important work in Jewish education. We had to make rapid decisions on how to save our existing traditional programming and transition to newly developed online programs so people who could not physically attend, could still participate online. For all those who stayed in Odesa, we still offer our traditional offline classes in Jewish education, history, literature and Hebrew language, Jewish art, music, theatric, studio, and design. Some of Migdal’s most popular programs are Migdal Katainot for Children, Migdal Jewish Family Retreat Halom, Migdal Jewish Clubs, and Migdal Jewish Lyceum. We are doing our best providing hybrid offline and online Jewish education to all participants in the midst of a raging war.
One of Migdal’s core principles of live human communication was first disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic. We took off our crown on March 22, 2020, rolled up our sleeves, and extended our long arms to everyone online. All of us on different continents pushed the boundaries with the zoom, social media, and formed a worldwide virtual community so we can continue our very important programs and services so much needed and enjoyed. At first, we simply talked and supported each other, sometimes with a common prayer, but then all our programs went online, and new ones were added to them.
The Migdal’s Jewish education online format opened up new opportunities through worldwide communication. Now we have many members and friends who are located all over the world, including USA, Israel, Germany, Czech Republic, Hong Kong and many other places, who can also participate in our programs through an online format. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Migdal’s Jewish Museum of Odesa for the first time during its existence released 53 videos about its exhibits, which gained more than 2630 views. Our numbers in May 2020 alone showed that about 12,000 people participated in various online Migdal’s programs and events. The geography of IP addresses traced to Migdal’s zoom included Ukraine, Israel, Germany, USA, Hong Kong, Spain, Hungary, Switzerland, the Balkans, Turkey, Austria, Belarus, Latvia, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, and others. Our online programs drastically expanded our borders and are now accessible worldwide. People from all over the world now can enjoy the true value of our unique events.
AJT (Active Jewish Teens Club) also adapted their projects to online mode starting from the beginning of the pandemic, and launched new ones. They got acquainted with the communities of Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Lithuania, and Estonia and 600 teenagers from different countries took part in AJT events! Parents of Active Teens did not lag behind: AJP (Active Jewish Parents) held multiple meetings with interesting people from around the world – writers, journalists, psychologists, guides, literary critics, art historians, collectors, and also included concerts and master classes with more than 500 participants. AJT visited different countries virtually and learned how Jewish teens live there. They held numerous meetings and master classes. AJP also went on virtual gatherings with the best lecturers from around the world.
Early Childhood Development Center Mazel Tov conducted hundreds of online zoom lessons for kids from 8 months to 6 years old since the beginning of the pandemic. Mazel Tov posted 45 training lessons and 15 educational videos on the YouTube channel, which scored 1,599 views. These videos included classes in mathematics and reading, games and exercises on logic, thinking, attention and memory, English and Hebrew lessons, and master classes in drawing and paper modeling. Teachers conducted live classes on the Zoom platform at the rate of 5–6 lessons per day. The Migdal Freedom Program for disadvantaged children also continued its work online, pairing up teenagers with disadvantaged and at risk children, who meet with each other online regularly.
Despite the continued darkness and cold in Odesa, January 2023 started with our winter Kaitana for Children from Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson. Kaitana campers were provided with hot, kosher meals, opportunities for field trips and other fun and educational programming prepared by Migdal’s counselors. They also had the opportunity to learn the history and traditions of Ukrainian Jews by playing the Township game, a Monopoly-like game created by Migdal’s Shorashim Odesa Jewish Museum professionals. This was not the usual winter camp, but also a place to stay warm and safe with electricity and friends. Our 2023 plans include continuing and expanding Jewish education through our traditional and newly developing programs, as we look forward to Victory!
