Bespyatova Sofia Meerovna - our most experienced and valuable volunteer! She is a retired citizen and loves to read, knit and study the history and traditions of Jewish culture. Her desire to help people led her to our volunteer center, where she has been helping the community for over 20 years. Her first project was Purim Postman. Sofia wishes that all volunteers would always help those in need with an open heart and soul!

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.

My name is Konstantin Fridman, I am an active volunteer in Minsk Jewish organizations. I can't say that I had a specific reason why I started volunteering, but most likely it was hereditary - my parents were also active members of the community. Since childhood, I was taught to treat people as I would like to be treated, and this became the basis of my life and work. I am a very sociable and outgoing person, and therefore volunteering for me is a pleasure. Although not everyone may enjoy volunteering as a main activity, I am sure that the emotions and gratitude that I receive from the people I help are the best rewards for my efforts. I advise everyone to try to participate in any of the volunteer programs, as my grandmother, parents and now myself recommended it to me. Who knows, maybe you will find your calling in this and become active volunteers like me!

Having the MD degree in Medicine, she is a radiologist, Fruma Zalimanovna was born in 1929. Despite her not young age, she is full of energy and enthusiasm, which are so necessary in volunteering. Our heroine started her social work in 1946. Fruma Zalimanovna is the Assistant of the Chairman of the Medical Council of the University and a part-time mentor for the student volunteer movement «Milky Way». To the Volunteer Center of the synagogue she was invited in July 2013 as a consultant for the Organization of the Jewish Museum, then she became a principal consultant. Fruma Zalimanovna says that she is engaged in volunteering solely by ”The Call of the Soul”. She is totally sure that it is especially important today, because our society has lost its moral values. Fruma Zalimanovna also manages to write the books in history and in medicine.

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.

So let’s get acquainted! My name is Alexander Kamyshev. I was born in Krasnodar in 1972. I am a scorpio. I have a degree in radio engineering, another in optoelectronic physics. I have also more additional professions. I have many diverse interests — from electronics and botany, to theology and esotericism. I like being helpful. I like to share my knowledge, skills and experience.

Nowadays society is looking for something new and interesting. All people are bored. Therefore, my knowledge and new information interest people. And I am interested in them. When I first felt it, I realized the importance of sharing information with others, because it gives energy and power to develop yourself more and more. We will not be alone, because we are sharing and people will be interested with us. Over time, we will be recognized as specialists in one or several areas. And people will ask you questions! I think, to give, to give, to give — this is the motto of the real Master! And this is the most wonderful feeling in the world!

My name is Angela Shuruba, and I am a volunteer at the Republican Volunteer Center (RVC). My main occupation is working as a salesperson. I used to work at the "Zorile" shoe manufacturing enterprise.

I learned about RVC by chance when I attended events at KEDEM. I was looking for an opportunity to get closer to my roots, study the history and culture of the Jewish people, and participate in Jewish life. When I asked about educational programs at KEDEM, I was given a few phone numbers and invited to have a chat. Later, I filled out an application and gradually became part of the RVC team because I found here what I was looking for—a warm, friendly atmosphere, a wonderful team, educational and creative programs, the support of a psychologist, assistance to the elderly, and the opportunity to interact with interesting people.

While my children were little, my daughter and son attended an art club and took part in youth programs. Currently, I'm more drawn to KEDEM's activities, and I've become a volunteer at RVC.

I love the projects I'm involved in; they fill me with joy. Communicating with the elderly, whether in person or over the phone, is an opportunity to help them feel less lonely and to let them know that they will always have support and assistance. That's why I volunteer in the Call Center direction of the "Friendship by Phone" project and "Sources of Mercy." I accompany the elderly to the store or on walks.

"Regardless of how wealthy you are, you can always share with others." That's what volunteering is all about—having the opportunity to do a good deed, whether it's sharing your time, experience, or even just a kind smile. It's what I can do, and it makes me a bit better.

I am Nata Britkova. I am 33 years old, I am a director, theater and film actress. As a teenager, volunteering and non-formal education attracted my curious attention. For all the years that I was engaged in volunteering in various organizations, participated in various projects, both in Moldova and abroad, it turned out that the RVC was the best thing that could happen to me! My volunteer work began after Good Deeds Day in 2022. Then I gradually began to get acquainted with the projects, and there were quite a lot of them at the RVC, and I wanted to take part in each of them. An interesting fact is that my teacher, an acting coach of the improvisation format, has Jewish roots, but before that I had little knowledge of Jewish culture. Thanks to the RVC, she began to get involved in educational meetings and seminars, thereby learning more about the holidays and traditions of the Jewish people. The Republican Volunteer Center is a platform that allows you not only to help, but also to develop yourself and your abilities, and since I have knowledge of acting, I decided to create the IMPROart project. Some time later, after attending the Network of Volunteer Coordinators workshop, I became its co-coordinator. This project is about the art of improvisation, theater and cinema, which allows all volunteers to reveal their talents. Thanks to the volunteer center, I have the opportunity to continue the work of my teacher and her sister, who, as a person of science, also took part in the development of improvisation. In addition to the mentioned project, I actively participate in environmental events, conduct team building events for volunteers and am a member of the logistics team, thereby developing my creative and creative visions to help the coordinators create unforgettable events. I am proud to be a volunteer of the RVC! Volunteering is about real life!

Hello everyone! My name is Liza, and I am the coordinator of the animal assistance project (assistance to the Krasnodog animal shelter). All the inhabitants of our planet, including myself, see homeless animals every day, and I want to do at least something to help them. I found out 2 years ago that in our city there is a shelter for animals “Krasnodog”. Our volunteers and me went to help the shelter, and I was very impressed. I saw many injured animals, and they suffered from people’s behavior. When I had seen this, I wanted to show people what happens to those whom we do not care about. That’s how the project, which I coordinate, has appeared in our volunteer center.

Hello, my name is Vyacheslav Tomlin, and I have been a regular participant in the JR project since childhood. I am now 21 years old, and over the course of my participation in the project, I have experienced many unforgettable moments. Since the age of 10, I have actively taken part in various events, workshops, seminars, and summer camps, gaining a wealth of skills and impressions.

I have been a participant in programs, and now I actively assist in conducting activities for children of primary and middle school age. I always take the initiative and gladly respond to everything happening in our center. With the kids, we play active and intellectual games, bake goodies for Hesed, and in the summer, I help in the day camp as a counselor.

The center has become not just a place but a second home for me. It is always cozy and warm here, and I willingly participate in all events and initiatives in our friendly community.

My name is Igor, and in my everyday life, I work as an operator at a water pumping station. But in addition to this responsible profession, I have other interests - mobile photography and literature. Volunteering, for me, is an opportunity to provide assistance to those who truly need it. My first volunteering experience was during the "Autumn Holidays" campaign. During those challenging times when the pandemic had struck, we distributed food packages to elderly people. When you see gratitude in the eyes of those in need, you realize that it's priceless. This gratitude means so much more than any amount of money. I'm glad to be part of this volunteering team. My help and my time can serve a noble cause. Help your neighbor, seek opportunities to make the world better, without seeking personal gain. Because it's moments like these that make our lives more meaningful and fill them with warmth and kindness.

Тkachenko Еlizaveta, 33 years old, manicure master. How did she get to the volunteer center? — Mother of two children, at difficult life circumstances, has asked for the help in the children’s program. Later, she decided to assist us in the organization of the holidays for children. Now, she also provides help and support to our moms in difficult life situations. Why to be a volunteer? Quotation: «I am helped, that is why I help too, and I can not live without it now».

Why is it actual today? Quotation: «if I have the possibility to help to somebody, I consider, that I must do it, the word «volunteer» I heard not long ago, but I am busy with it all my life».