Project Kesher

PROJECT KESHERS MISSION IS TO BUILD JEWISH COMMUNITY AND ADVANCE CIVIL SOCIETY BY DEVELOPING AND EMPOWERING WOMEN LEADERS.

PROJECT KESHER (PK) CONTINUES TO INVEST IN THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS AND SUPPORTS GRASSROOTS NETWORKS OF JEWISH WOMEN LEADERS IN BELARUS, ISRAEL, RUSSIA, AND UKRAINE AS THEY ADVOCATE FOR JEWISH LIFE AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, HEALTH, AND SAFETY IN THEIR COUNTRIES. FOUNDED IN 1989, THE ORGANIZATION HELPED INCORPORATE AFFILIATED, INDEPENDENT NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN BELARUS, ISRAEL, RUSSIA, AND UKRAINE. IN PARTNERSHIP FOR OVER 30 YEARS, PK RAISES RESOURCES, CULTIVATES RELATIONSHIPS, AND GENERATES AWARENESS FOR THE ORGANIZATIONS AND WOMEN IN OUR NETWORK.AT THE START OF 2021, THE PK NETWORK WAS OPERATING GLOBALLY, VIRTUALLY, AND SHARING PROGRAMS BETWEEN COUNTRIES AND LEADERS IN BELARUS, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, AND ISRAEL. THE NETWORK HAD TRAINED OVER 3,500 GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY LEADERS IN 30+ YEARS, MOST OF WHOM WERE STILL INVOLVED ACTIVISTS, VOLUNTEERING OVER 250,000 HOURS ANNUALLY TO COMMUNITY, LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES. PK-CREATED CONTENT IN RUSSIAN, ON TOPICS RANGING FROM PREVENTION OF GENDER VIOLENCE TO ADULT BAT MITZVAH PRACTICES, REACHED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ONLINE. DURING THE PANDEMIC, THE NETWORK PIVOTED WITHIN A WEEK - ALL PROGRAMS CONTINUED VIRTUALLY, REACHING EVEN MORE WOMEN THAN BEFORE, AND CREATED NEW EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ON COVID-19, COPING WITH STRESS, AND VACCINATIONS. ANNUAL FLAGSHIP PROGRAMS LIKE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP TRAINING, JEWISH EDUCATION AND HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS, AND HEALTH ADVOCACY CONTINUED. THIS FISCAL YEAR WAS EXCEEDINGLY HARD DUE TO COVID-19 AND THE ESCALATION OF WAR IN UKRAINE. DESPITE GREAT CHALLENGES FACING THEM, PROJECT KESHER-TRAINED LEADERS IN EACH COUNTRY CONTINUE TO CREATE AND IMPLEMENT MEANINGFUL, IMPACTFUL PROGRAMS, STRENGTHENING WOMEN AND ENTIRE COMMUNITIES.IN 2021 PROGRAMS WERE IMPACTED BY COVID-19. IN ISRAEL, WHERE VACCINES ARE READILY AVAILABLE, PROGRAMS RESUMED IN-PERSON, WITH THEIR FIRST SHABBAT SEMINAR IN-PERSON IN JERUSALEM ON NOVEMBER 24, 2021. IN BELARUS AND RUSSIA EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS REMAINED FOR THE MOST PART VIRTUAL, ALTHOUGH SOME LOCAL COMMUNITIES BEGAN TO GATHER FOR CELEBRATIONS AND WORKSHOPS IN SMALL GROUPS. PK-SUPPORTED HEALTH PROGRAMS INCLUDED BREAST CANCER AWARENESS, COVID VACCINE EDUCATION, AND EDUCATION FOR CARETAKERS OF PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA. GRASSROOTS EFFORTS IN BELARUS INCLUDED COOPERATION WITH THE POSTAL SERVICE TO DISTRIBUTE 40,000 BROCHURES ON THE IMPORTANCE AND SAFETY OF THE COVID-19 VACCINE, AS WELL AS WEBINARS AND IN-PERSON PRESENTATIONS THAT GAVE THE UNDECIDED OPPORTUNITIES TO ASK A DOCTOR QUESTIONS. PK RUSSIA HOSTED 17 WEBINARS FOR DIFFERENT JEWISH COMMUNITY POPULATIONS TO SUPPORT VACCINATION EDUCATION, REACHING 2,000 PEOPLE IN 32 CITIES, AND AN ADDITIONAL 2,500 THROUGH STREAMING VIEWS. PK CONTINUED JEWISH PROGRAMMING VIRTUALLY, BUT SOME PK LEADERS WERE ABLE TO GATHER FOR SUKKOT 2021, IN ISRAEL AND IN RUSSIA. FROM SEPTEMBER 2021 TO JANUARY 2022, LEADERS FROM EACH COUNTRY TRAINED FOR OUR FIRST EVER PROJECT KESHER BNOT MITZVAH CEREMONIES. LEADERS GATHERED IN NEW YORK, MOSCOW, JERUSALEM, AND ODESA WITH PROJECT KESHER TORAH SCROLLS, AND LED BAT MITZVAH SERVICES, READING AND BLESSING THE TORAH FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND CHOOSING HEBREW NAMES. THE CELEBRATIONS WERE ENJOYED BY OVER 40 WOMEN PARTICIPANTS AND HUNDREDS VIRTUALLY ONLINE. IN UKRAINE, PRIOR TO RUSSIA'S ESCALATION OF THE WAR ON FEBRUARY 24, 2022, PK HAD OVER 300 TRAINED LEADERS ACTIVE IN 40 CITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY. THE FINE REPUTATION THAT THE NETWORK HAD EARNED THROUGH YEARS OF GRASSROOTS WORK MEANT THAT PK WAS PREPARED TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATIONS WITH UKRAINIANS IN NEED AND PROVIDE EMERGENCY HUMANITARIAN AID. IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF WAR, THE PROJECT KESHER NETWORK PROVIDED FOOD AND MEDICINE FOR 30,000 PEOPLE, DISTRIBUTED CASH SUPPORT OF MORE THAN $110,000, AND FACILITATED OVER 8,000 EVACUATIONS. PROJECT KESHER ISRAEL HAS TAKEN ON A MAJOR ROLE IN SETTLING UKRAINIAN IMMIGRANTS AND PROVIDING FOR THEIR IMMEDIATE MEDICAL, MENTAL HEALTH, LEGAL, AND EDUCATIONAL NEEDS. IN ADDITION TO THIS EMERGENCY WORK, PROJECT KESHER WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING ANNUAL PROGRAMS ACROSS THE REGION IN THE FIELDS OF JEWISH WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT, HEALTH, AND COMMUNITY.