Everybody always leaves forever. It is impossible to come back – instead of us, somebody else comes back. Маx Frei «Simple miracle things». This magical phrase I read a long time ago, in that old pre-war life in which there were children, lessons, trips to the Crimea, research projects, the play in What? Where? When?, the meetings with the friends, the work in the summer camp, scripts and productions, Lugansk, peace and mom. Then this life was over, and for some time it seemed that I ended up too. There were left only the bags with some clothes caught in a hurry, three old pensioners – my mother and father-in-law with mother-in-law, crying on any occasion, afraid of people (especially men, especially in the uniform) four-year old grandson. We passed by roadblocks, villages and cities. The strange life hung in the piece of moribund web of the habitual actions. The feelings of Robinson, and around – not strangers, but UFOs – at their homes, with their normal habitual life. Everything around suddenly became unimportant. What is here and now-no matter. It is important – how is THERE, where I remained in my copy of 2014. Confusion. Emptiness. As if all the air came out, all thoughts, all feelings – everything and only an empty shell-like remained and looks like me, but not me. Whether I lived or did not live – without home, without friends, without work. And then I appeared in Sumi. More precisely, everything began in “Hesed Haim». There was sympathetic without pity, noisy, many children and mentally warm. And here the shell gradually began to be filled with the acquaintances and concepts, and all of a sudden it was needed something of mine, that I was able to do. And yet it was needed something new, which I started to learn. And then I remembered the magic phrase- everybody always leaves forever. Somebody else comes back. And I stopped to regret about myself last. And I started to fill myself the true one. I was busy with the children, organized games for them, and the kids warmed my grandson. I wrote questions, explained the homework, just talked and played with the children. Then somehow it turned out that it’s not just talks, games and lessons. It is volunteering…. What is the volunteering for me? Why do I do it? Because I can. Because to help. Because you can live in such a way. And just for nothing. It’s just that it is a new, large component of me-new. The other me. Living in Sumy, looking at Lugansk as another planet, which possibly will be visited by me new.

I have never been indifferent to what is happening with what surrounds me. Nature, animals, people. I often take the pain of others as my own, trying to help in solving other people’s problems, if it is within my power. Most likely, this was the basis of my volunteer life. I participate in such projects as “Dreams do not grow old,” “Help without limits”, “Week of good deeds” with a great pleasure. To be a volunteer is a great opportunity to help others, to do good things. Being engaged in something good, helpful, kind, you fill your life with meaning, and this is important! Everyone should do something generous and kind in his life!

The familiarity with Judaism and Jewish life, I began with my aunts, who studied at a Jewish Orthodox school, approximately at 12 years. They led me into the synagogue and helped to settle. Then I began to attend the synagogue more often. It was the time when I kept Shabbat, Koshrut, and Tfilin. I am interested in the volunteering. Because the youth must know about its roots, understand who they are and be proud of them. But when you are young, it is difficult to understand this, and especially by yourself. So, I try, as much as possible, to help the young people to learn their history, to help to understand that the Jews are one big family.

I like to learn and to teach, to develop, to know something new. I have various interests in the sphere of the exact sciences, and in the area of arts and crafts creativity. The work in thecommunity allows to realize the most various creative ideas. The limitation of the resources demands the creative approaches, and non-standard thinking. The ability to solve the major problems with costs of “three coins” – it is very useful ability in our hard time.

My name is Evgenia. Since 2008 I am Hesed’s volunteer. I try to participate in all volunteer shares, and also in the project «Shabbat to Go». I graduated from the Vinnytsia College of management in 2004 in banking. I consider that when I am good to people, my life is filled with new colours.