Experiential Jewish Education in Russia: An Overview

There theyare able to have a much-needed getaway together with other Jewish friends and adore counselors, live Judaism 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.During each session, the children enjoy an action-packed day of sports, swimming in the beautiful on-site river, learning classes, Jewish crafts, and fun activities. They are often taken on fantastic trips including a waterpark, paintball shooting, zip lining, and the famous Rostov zoo. One of the highlights of camp is camping in tents on the beach, with late night bonfires and stories from the Rabbi, and roasted marshmallows brought all the way from New York [3].Retreat for adultsFollowing a successful experience of the summer camps for younger children, community leaders in Rostov turned their attention to students and young adults. They have arranged a fun and educational retreat for participants aged 18-28. As it is the last chance to reach out and encourage adults to establish Jewish homes,programming for this age group is especially important.The retreat takes place in the Republic of Adygea, which is about 5 hours away from Rostov in a beautiful and picturesque place.These youth seminars and other youth programs in the region are coordinated by DovidFaynberg, director of the RoshTov youth club in Rostov.According to him, they have found a healthy balance between providing students with fun filled activities and inspiring them with interesting Torah lectures. This is what they really enjoy, and they are so eager to attend these retreats each year[3].Hillel Russia and Hillel CASESince 2009 Genesis Philanthropy Group has supportedfinanciallytwo leading Jewish student organizations that work in the FSU: Hillel Russia and Hillel CASE.Hillel Russia supports regional offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Yekaterinburg, Penza and Novosibirsk.The main aims of Hillel Russia and Hillel CASE are the involvement of young adults in the life of Jewish communities, introducing Jewish students to the history, culture and traditions of the Jewish people and implementation of programs supporting cultural and educational growth of young adults. In other words, Hillel Russia and Hillel CASE perform the important task of shaping the Jewish identity of young people, growing up a new generation of Jewish leaders, and increasing the number of socially active members of Jewish communities in the FSU [1].In programs throughout the world, experiential Jewish educators develop the skills they need to succeed – people learn to be deliberate, inviting, and memorable. They learn Jewish content, creativity, charisma, and community building.And most of all, they learn to create “wow” moments: for example, inspiring Jewish experiences that surprise and excite a new generation of learners to wrestle with the same Jewish values and questions that we all address every single day.ReferencesGenesis Philanthropy Group. Jewish Student Organizations in the FSU – Hillel Russia and Hillel Case. – URL: http://www.gpg.org/grants/fsu/jewish-student-organizations-in-the-fsu-hillel-russia-and-hillel-case.htmlJ-ArtEckJugendbildungsstättee. V. Олагере. – URL: http://j-arteck.org/olagere/Jewish Rostov. Summer Camp. – URL: http://www.jewishrostov.com/Smith, Thomas E., & Knapp, Clifford E. Sourcebook of Experiential Education: Key Thinkers and Their Contributions. – NY:Routledge, 2011. – 334p.Sunday Hebrew School. – URL:www.jewishmoscow.com/hebrewschoolThe Jewish Agency. Международныйпроект "Makom.IL" - летниелагерявИзраиле. – URL: http://www.jewishagency.org/ru/experience-israel/%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%82-makomil-%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%8F-%D0%B2-%D0%B8%D0%B7%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B5Yeshiva University. Experiential Jewish Education. – URL: http://www.ejewisheducation.com/НЕЦЕР в России. – URL: http://netzer.narod.ru/main.htm