My name is Ella Efimovna Novomlinova. I was born in 1948. I am a former kindergarten teacher (music director). I am retired at the moment. I became a volunteer in 2010, when I came to Hasdei Yerushalaim. I have a group of ward people, whom I regularly ring up, make messages, congratulate on birthday and holidays. I am regularly on duty at the Hesed office, and when it is possible I respond to the requests of people and help them. Since music is my hobby, I help V.O Lanzman to conduct “Musical living room”. My daughter and grandson also take part in the life of Hesed, and I am very happy about it. I am grateful to the whole team of our community.

My name is Alexandra Viktorovna Barkova. I am 15 years old and I study at secondary school number 21 in the city of Bobruisk. In my free time, I enjoy music, needlework, reading and preparing for exams. I am also a member of the AJT teenage club in Bobruisk. I have been volunteering for 9 months now. When I first came to the club, I was immediately interested in the topic of volunteering. As soon as the opportunity arose, I began distributing food security kits for the Food Security project. I am very grateful that I have such an opportunity - the opportunity to please and take care of people. I want to wish all the volunteers patience and good mood so that they can bring good to people!

Hi all! My name is Vyacheslav Gandrabur, I am 18 years old and I study at the International Lyceum in Chisinau. I love sports, especially football, as well as computer technology and programming. I learned about the Republican Volunteer Center from friends and classmates who shared their positive and interesting experience with me. I decided to learn what it means to be a volunteer, thus discovering new skills and unforgettable experiences. My main project at the RVC is "How does it work?", which is aimed at educating children. I tell the youngsters about the history and principles of work of various objects around us. However, my volunteer work began with the "Do Good" campaign, the purpose of which was to create and conduct presentations about volunteering for schoolchildren and students. The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has seriously affected the activities of volunteers. The approach to planning and holding events and lessons has changed. That is why I led the project "How does it work?" for a long time in an online format, which, of course, had its pros and cons. Luckily, with new volunteers and the reduced risk of Covid-19, we now have the opportunity to conduct classes in person, which makes classes even more fun. In my opinion, the most beautiful thing in the volunteer movement is emotions.I am pleased not only with my own positive emotions from volunteering, but also with the emotions of those people to whom I help. I also like that volunteering gives you the opportunity to gain social experience and develop other unique skills that can greatly help in everyday life. Volunteering is awesome!

My name is Elena and I am a volunteer in the "Maagal" community.

For 26 years, I’ve been living with rheumatoid arthritis, to the point where I have a second-degree disability. I have a wonderful husband, two grown sons, and a small elderly dog - all of whom love and often demand attention. And then there’s work and the endless routine so familiar to every woman.

But no, this story isn’t about that. It’s about how, a few years ago, I received a call inviting me to join the "Sipur Volunteers" project. This was my first experience with such work, but I knew that if someone needed my help, I was ready to set aside my pain, work, and household chores, get behind the wheel, and drive to people who didn’t know me but were eagerly waiting for me. I’ll admit, I was a little scared, as I wasn’t sure how I would be received, what I could offer these people beyond a small gift, and what words I could find. But when the door opened, I was greeted with a smile and kind eyes, and our simple greeting turned into a warm conversation over tea and pastries. You begin to forget all your worries, simply dissolving in the warmth emanating from your companion. And this wasn’t just in one house I visited, but in many homes where I now know for sure - I am always welcome.

Now I can say for certain what my story is about. It’s about how, in this crazy pace of life, sometimes you just need to stop and smile at an elderly, lonely person, wish them "Yom Tov," and in return, you will receive far more attention and care than you could ever imagine. That’s the life-giving force everyone needs - just faith, hope, love.

I am 16 years old. I am a vocational school student. Besides, I go to choreography school and take part in fire shows. I have been attending the Jewish Community Center all my life. I take an active part in many Jewish Community projects, help organize concerts, performances, and festive events. I have even volunteered as a madrichim at the summer camp. I have decided to become a volunteer because I like to help people and I love children. As a volunteer, I gain experience, develop new valuable skills and knowledge. In my view, a volunteer is a person who voluntarily and free of charge helps those in need. I believe that our activity is useful and necessary.

Hello, my name is Olesya Ryabova. My journey into volunteering began in childhood, thanks to my mother. She grew up in an orphanage and instilled in me a desire to help others. Even back then, I realized that the most frightening thing in life is loneliness.

My volunteering debut took place in 2008 when I helped a pregnant woman with a 7-year-old child with disabilities. Since then, I have become part of the volunteer movement and actively participate in various projects, including delivering Shabbat and food packages. Often, my daughters accompany me — it’s the best way to show them how many people need our support and care. For me, the greatest reward for helping is the happiness in people’s eyes!

24 years old

Reception document service assistant.

Hobbies: I write poems, prose and I enjoy being photographed.

My volunteer career began when I was at school in 11th grade. My friend and I signed up for an action against extremism and drug trafficking. We walked around ​​the district and made photos of “advertisements” of drugs, smoking mixtures, and various inscriptions such as swastikas, which offend different nationalities. We sent all the information to a police officer.

Later, I was a volunteer in the search and rescue team «Liza Alert» and searched for missing people. I placed announcements about the search, notified the public about the results, and I was also the organizer of the «Memorial Day of the Perished Children» supported by «Lisa Alert».

I wanted to be a volunteer from a Jewish organization, and I learned about the existence of Hesed Ester and the fact that everyone could participate in cleaning the Jewish cemetery. This is very important for me as a Jew, as a member of the community, and it gives me great pleasure to do this activity. There is such a nice and useful action as cleaning the cemetery — thank you so much for it!

Victoria Tonkonog is a new and particularly valuable volunteer in the city of Bishkek with her own unique story. At the age of three, she developed a severe disability due to a musculoskeletal system disorder and practically does not leave her home, receiving all the necessary assistance from Hesed.

During the pandemic, Victoria actively communicated with Hesed volunteers, participating in the "Food security," "Let's Connect," and "Holiday in Every Home" programs. Volunteers taught her how to use the internet, take virtual courses on drawing, and save her poetic works (Victoria writes poetry) in electronic format.

In one of the conversations with Hesed staff, Victoria expressed a desire to become a volunteer, fearing that her physical condition might be a hindrance. However, we found a special volunteer role for her—Victoria has been congratulating elderly wards on their birthdays for several months now. She does it creatively, incorporating her artistic approach, and both sides derive pleasure from this experience.

Victoria notes that volunteering gives her a sense of purpose, instills a feeling of involvement in a common cause, the joy of interacting with many people she didn't know before. Hesed's wards always express joy at the attention they receive on their birthdays from Victoria.

I am a teacher. Today, I am engaged in the production of the purified bottled water. I have got to the Jewish communal center when I began to bring my daughter to the summer camp, a few years ago. I became the volunteer absolutely consciously. I consider that each person wants the heat and kindness, and the volunteers give to the person the chance to feel necessary and to give the heat and attention. And the volunteer, helping people, also feels necessary for the people. I worked as the volunteer in «Mini-Club», being engaged with the children as the teacher, also, I participate in various projects of the community. As the volunteer I take part in the “Kosher-Smack” project devoted to the preservation and promoting of the Jewish cuisine among the younger generation. Volunteering, from my point of view, is a disinterested and voluntary aid where especially people need it. And the volunteer, in his turn has an opportunity to self-actualize through the activity, to embody some his aspirations and requirements through the service to people. I am in the center on the photo.

My name is Irina, I have a wonderful son who has a disability. I know very well how sometimes additional moral and material help are needed to give the necessary attention to such kids. At some point, I realized that many people's life situations are more difficult than mine. Also, I have an experience that I want to share with others, especially with those who are in dire need of it. Every time I hear "Thank you", I realize that I haven't lived the day in vain. During my volunteering at the Gomel Jewish Volunteer Center, I realized that the team of volunteers is my big family! I never thought that people who have almost nothing in common could come together like this.

My name is Viorika Kelban. I joined RVC about two years ago thanks to a friend who was a volunteer at the center and enthusiastically told me about its activities. I wanted to become part of this wonderful project where compassion and caring for others are the main values.

My first volunteer projects were the Healthy Vitamin Box and "Memory Cafe" for elderly with dementia. I also participated in delivering Shabbat packages to our wards. After the Good Deeds Day, I became interested in the "Home Care" project, where I enjoy interacting with people of different generations, learning their life stories, and sharing my own.

The "Preserving the Memory of Jewish Life" project opened up the tragic pages of Jewish history in Moldova to me - pogroms and the Holocaust. I try to attend all events dedicated to these tragic events, which make me reflect on our history and the fate of the elderly who witnessed these events.

In this context, I was drawn to the "Origins of Mercy" project, which focuses on caring for the elderly. Volunteers strive to ease the lives of the elderly and fill them with bright colors. Thanks to volunteering, I have become a real "good wizard" who, together with others, is capable of changing lives and society for the better!

Sofia is a graduate of the Young Leadership Program Metsuda. Most of her life she has been an active member of the Jewish community of our city. Since she was 12 she participated in the summer camps of Sokhnut, its field schools, seminars and festivals. She taught her first own class at the age of 14.

“Now it’s my second wave of coming back to this new family. This time is more conscious, because I don’t only know that I can give something to the community, but that I want and I must do it. It’s not pathos at all, it’s really wonderful to have such a family. Just think about it, there is a Jewish community practically in every big city in the world. Which means, that if you are Jewish, you will never be alone and abandoned in a new city. I have a really big Jewish family, only in Krasnodar it consists of more than 30 people. When I am travelling, an ultimate point of my program is a synagogue or a Jewish community. Last time I had a very warm reception in the Ashkenazi synagogue in Baku.

Now I am actively exploring my family history and writing queries to Ukraine, because I want to have not only oral family stories, but real documents as well.

Take care of your community, work in it, nurture it to have something to transfer to the next generations».