We launched the "In touch" project in August, last year. Since, under the restrictions we have taken in connection with COVID-19, older people do not meet each other in person, so this program has become the most desirable and enjoyable. Meetings are held on Skype, two times a week. We have new opportunities, and we are taking full advantage of them. Now there are no borders for us! The VCFSU network and the family club volunteers have already traveled online several times. They explore the fascinating world of Jewish tradition, conduct Kabbalah Shabbat and the Havdalah ceremony, and share their interests: books, cooking, personal discoveries, and observations. In the group of elderly people, volunteers also stood out, who created new categories "Chatterbox", "Music of our Youth", "Memoirs". 

We will publish some written reviews, we value them very much, as they are full of the warmth that we send to our elderly people. Spelling and punctuation are preserved.

"Thank you so much for your sensitive attention to the elderly in your "In Touch" program. Thank you for your kind words, we need them especially now. Sincerely, Valery Dmitrievich".

"Nice to meet you, girls. ...I answer the question of how our grandparents celebrated the Sabbath. So here's my story. I didn't know my grandparents, because I was only 2.5 years old when we were evacuated from Ukraine to Siberia, when the Second World War began. In Siberia in those years, no customs were welcomed, and even more so Jewish ones! I vaguely remember my mom and dad talking in a low voice in a strange language. And they didn't observe any customs - they were atheists. We, the children, were teased on the street and probably that's why our parents didn't teach us the language. When I was married, my husband was Russian. Thus, it turns out that I got acquainted with the history of the Jewish people and with the Jewish holidays already when I was retired, when I came to Hesed! I learned a lot of interesting things thanks to your events. Thanks to the Hesed volunteers! Thank you so much for the interesting information. I look forward to the next meetings. Ekaterina Alexandrovna''.

"I had an international family, my grandparents lived in the city of Nikolaev in Ukraine, we visited them on vacation....I only remember my grandmother's rolls in a large basin – the sweetest memories of my childhood. I try to remember everything from your stories about our Jewish customs and way of life. Thank you, Andrey, and all those who are close to you, they teach us a lot. As they say, it's never too late to learn! Svetlana Mukhamedovna".

During this time, the volunteers and the elderly have become much closer, so twice a week in the evenings, friends already meet!