A message from Yamama... Your help is really appreciated!

YALT

Mon, Dec 07 2009, 8:01 am

Hi!

Not really sure where to post this...

I'm the administrator of Bais Menachem Jewish School of Simferopol (in Crimea, Former Soviet Union.) We are a VERY non-profit school, and our students are all from low income families. EVERY STUDENT IS HALACHICALLY JEWISH, A RARITY IN THE FSU. We so much want to make Chanukah a happy time for them. We really need chocolate coins (preferably pareve) and any other nosh and prizes, for the school, shul, community... My husband is returning here on Wednesday I"YH. I could ask one of my sons to pick up the donation from you if you're in Crown Heights, or if you could get it to us at 1601 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11213 it would be wonderful! . You have no idea how much this would be appreciated! You can see We will gladly send you pictures after Chanukah.

Thank you SO much! A freilichen Chanukah!

Leah Lipszyc ( chossid@gmail.com )

Marion

Mon, Dec 07 2009, 8:24 am

I thought Simferopol was wiped out in the war...since my great-grandfather left there before 1920.

Ruchel

Mon, Dec 07 2009, 8:26 am

Oh wow. Too bad he doesn't come around here. A Jewish only Jewish school is indeed something to support in Russia!

YALT

Mon, Dec 07 2009, 9:37 am

If you'd like to help out, Ruchel, I'm sure they can arrange a way to get it.
We can arrange with someone in France where you can bring either money or other stuff & he'll be able to get it from them.
Or you can send an address to the American address, and he can deposit it straight into the AMerican account.
Email Yamama, and I'm sure she can help make some arrangements.
Even if it won't help for CHanukah, as it's too close, they have all types of events going on throughout the year.

Marion,
Actually, there is a whole cavetown there, of where the Jews hid. You can see all the caves, and mikvas in there, and even a shul all the way at the top of the mountain.
And then a Jewish cemetary, if I have my facts right.
Yamama, please verify exactly what you know, as your knowledge is more than tenfold of mine.

Ruchel

Mon, Dec 07 2009, 9:41 am

I was thinking, could I just send Hanuka nosh or something in a post package? you would just need to tell me the hechsher and if I can find it I would be happy to do it. If Hanuka is too close I guess I could do that for Purim.

YALT

Mon, Dec 07 2009, 9:52 am

I would NOT send it straight to Ukraine. You can do that for Purim to the American address.
Also, they can give an American tax exempt letter to anyone who would like. I'm not sure if it'll help anything out of America, but just letting everyone know.

Ruchel

Mon, Dec 07 2009, 10:23 am

I was thinking it would be much less expensive to send to Ukraine, but maybe the post isn't reliable?

chocolate moose

Mon, Dec 07 2009, 10:26 am

She toldme that she is going to host other events and that if we can't manage to help out with th is one, there will be another.

And as a side, personal note - your money goes VERY far when you help out the shluchim in Russia and Israel.

Tehilla

Mon, Dec 07 2009, 10:30 am

Yes, a couple of years ago we once had a shliach from that area come to buy a sefer. He was counting nickles and dimes and quarters from a pushke. When he finished, we wrote a check for a donation that really stretched us--but the gratitude has me still davening years later to be able to support more shluchim (and worthy tzedakas).

Yamama

Mon, Dec 07 2009, 4:06 pm

Thank you YALT for posting for me, and anyone else who would like to help us. For one thing, you can see us here and here.Bais Menachem Brochure Bais Menachem Photos and read our blog.Blog

We can ALWAYS use your help! Without a sponsoring organization, and with the financial crisis in full swing, we are under tremendous pressure.

What can we use? EVERYTHING! We especially like to get nosh for the kids -- for Chanukah, Tu B'Shvat, Purim, Lag B'Omer, first and last days of school, graduation, and a now nearly empty "store" where the kids can redeem points earned for davening, tznius, etc. PAREVE IS BEST, both because of restrictions here as well as the school only has a meat kitchen (if the kids bring it into the dining hall.)

It goes without saying that we need money. It can be donated on our website, https://www.mychabad.org/templ.....a.org
or sent by check to Chabad of Crimea World Friends @ 1601 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11213

Marion -- the community was not wiped out B"H. The lucky people left around the time your family did. Everyone else who could, left as part of the "evacuatzia," but many returned after the war. This Friday is the memorial day for the Jews who were murdered just outside Simferopol, at the "eleventh kilometer."

There are 8 cave cities in Crimea, as well as many extensive underground catacombs. The catacombs in Kerch extend for many kilometers. They were used by thousands of partisanim, who were murdered there by the Nazis y"sh. There are 2 "Jewish" cave cities, Tchufute Kalei and Mangup. You can see Tchufute Kalei here: http://www.photoblog.com/choss......html and here: http://www.photoblog.com/choss......html

Packages can be sent either to America or here. If to America, we still have to transport them here. It is best to send parcels here to me personally, so they won't be opened and scrutinized. Ruchel -- I'm not that familiar with European hechsherim -- any good hechsher should be fine, thank you -- I guess the more machmir ones are best! Thanks also Chocolate Moose :-) The address is:

Leah Lipszyc, Mironova 24, Simferopol 95001 Crimea, Ukraine

ЛЭЯ ЛИПШИЦ
МИРОНОВА 24
СИМФЕРОПОЛЬ 95001 КРЫМ УКРАИНА

If you have any questions at all, feel free to PM me here or at chossid@gmail.com

Thank you! Leah aka Yamama (Ya Mama = I'm a Mother in Russian)

hila

Tue, Dec 08 2009, 1:10 am

I assume any Israeli candy or nosh with a bedatz hechsher will be ok ?

Yamama

Tue, Dec 08 2009, 3:07 am

ABSOLUTELY Hila! THANK YOU!!!

YALT

Fri, Dec 11 2009, 6:15 am

OK. Situation just became alot more urgent.
My father was on his way back there for Chanukah (for those who haven't realized, Yamama is my mother). What a trip!
To begin with, they sold his plane ticket to someone else! He was delayed in coming home 12 hours. He was supposed to arrive home Thursday night, and he first got home now.
Somehow, by the time my father got to Crimea, he noticed he was pickpocketed. I don't know all the details. My mother just sent me a quick note asking that I put this up on imamother, because yesterday is when the internet just decided not to work, so she sent me a message from her phone. She's been working on getting her internet back up the whole night.
I'm wondering if he went by train. Because in general he's very careful the way he hides his money.
Anyways, the point is, he was carrying with him the cash to pay for the neccessities for chanukah, programs, holocaust memorial, etc. Now he's got nothing.

If anyone can give anything or everything, please either contact me at 718-774-7780 or donate online at https://www.mychabad.org/templ.....a.org
Donations are tax exempt.

Tehilla

Fri, Dec 11 2009, 8:44 am

bumping to keep this up there.

I'm giving something.

marina

Fri, Dec 11 2009, 9:46 am

hey yamama. I was one of the sem girls over there in simfiropol by you guys the first summer, when camp didn't really work out. I was the one who spoke russian. Glad to hear you have things going now. Good luck!