Heros of Kharkov
I have just returned from a trip that included Los Angeles and Kharkov, Ukraine. This means I basically just covered half of the globe on behalf of NCSY. I would like to share some of my impressions of the heroes of Kharkov.
Imagine a city that was devoid of Judaism for years under communist Russia. Now, picture the implosion of that system. Next, add in the OU and you have one of the greatest achievements the Orthodox Union has ever created. 16 years ago the OU started the Joseph K. Miller Torah Center in Kharkov. Over those years the OU has sent thousands of youngsters on aliyah to Israel. Just during my short visit we celebrated 3 britot, two of which were grown teenagers! The warmth of the children of Kharkov was overwhelming. They clung to their Judaism and treasured it. There was not a moment during the entire trip that I was not close to tears. We must all remember that as Jews we have a responsibility to all Jews everywhere to teach them Torah and reunite them with Hashem.
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