(Jewish Group) The Moishe House in Kyiv has become a safe haven during wartime
The Moishe House model — three to five Jewish young adults living together and creating community through Jewish programming — works well in 30 countries. But what happens when a war erupts right outside the front door?
Daniil Belyi, a resident of the Moishe House in Kyiv, Ukraine, has firsthand experience with this conundrum. As a resident for less than a year before the war broke out, he was still trying to find his place in the house and what programs he was most comfortable with running.
But once the war began, Belyi and his fellow residents, Andrey and Andy, had different problems: instead of building the Jewish community with events, they were building shelves for community organizations that they then filled with donated food. And instead of welcoming Shabbat, they were welcoming displaced people who needed somewhere to stay.
“We understood that we can’t make events, we need to help our country,” said Belyi. “When you understand that you need to help someone, you don’t think about ‘it’s hard for me’ or ‘it’s easy for me.’ You must help. People need you. We don’t think about how to do it. We do it and that’s all.”
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