BUDAPEST, Hungary — The goal is Jewish peoplehood, and Jewish community centers around the globe are going to try to achieve it is through cross-cultural projects, connecting the JCCs and the Jewish people who flock to them. 

So a joint children’s camp would link Hesed Hana in Krivoy Rig, Ukraine, the Mandel JCC in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and JCC Budapest Balint Haz. A monthly video-sharing project on cultural and craft topics would bridge the Beit Grand JCC in Odesa, Ukraine, the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum JCC in Bridgewater, N.J., and the Shechakim Community Center in Afula, Israel. And a cooking class or chess club for seniors looking to connect to their Jewish roots would match the JCC Halom in Kyiv, Ukraine, with the Merage JCC of Orange County, Calif., and centers in Israel and Mexico City. 

These are some of the ambitious cross-border collaborations that were kicked around by the leaders of 31 different JCCs from eight countries this week at the JCC Global “From Good to Great” conference held in the Hungarian capital. The leaders were meeting face to face for the first time to brainstorm ideas for joint projects, ones that would make a big, culturally diverse Jewish world seem smaller and more tightly bound.

“We can all learn from one another and learn how to learn from one another despite any cultural differences which might exist. The objective of this JCC Global [conference] and the purpose of… working [together] for the local and global Jewish community is… to [help us] understand that we are a part of something greater than [ourselves] and our (local) communities,” reflected Gabriel Lasry, CEO of Organización Hebrea Argentina Macabi in Buenos Aires, Argentina. “Some of us are strong in one area, which others are not, and some of us have weaknesses where others are strong. We are all equal.”

The two-year program is funded by a grant from the Jewish Federations of North America. It aims to enhance the capacity and sustainability of JCCs in Ukraine, by facilitating global cooperation with partner JCCs worldwide. Participants in the conference in Budapest also came from JCCs in the United States, Ukraine, Mexico, England, Poland, Italy, Serbia and Hungary. In addition to the “From Good to Great program” JCC Global has been able to provide grants to JCCs in Ukraine for mental health services and employment services through the UJA-Federation of New York, the Jack Buncher Foundation and the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation.

“We are in the midst of trying to bridge so many gaps. Cultural gap, situation gap, language gap and in spite of all the gaps, the people find the common denominator to work on and the realization that each one of them has a way to contribute and get something out of the real partnership the same way,” said JCC Global Founding Board member and former chair Menachem Revivi. “It doesn’t matter if you are from West Coast of the United States or from Ukraine, there are spirits and ways of dealing with the common challenges which are quite impressive and it takes time to realize it and find the projects which will help to [make] the challenge into reality.”

The participants were divided into teams made up of members from different regions to discuss ideas for possible joint projects which could be carried out cross-border over the next three years, though no final decision was expected. The initial sessions raised the aforementioned ideas for a joint children’s camp, a video-sharing program and a cooking class or chess club.

“I’m always inspired to see how the global Jewish community shares the same challenges, the same passion, the same pride for building the stronger Jewish community, and that the [Jewish] world is so much greater than just Israel or North America,” said Leah Garber, senior vice president and director general of the Center for Israel Engagement for the JCC Association of North America. “I think it’s a really important lesson for all of us to remember that the larger Jewish community out there also exists, which is sometimes easy to forget. So that’s my inspiration. I was incredibly inspired by people’s stories of what they’re going through… I felt that our group, which was made of members from the JCC in New Jersey, in Afula and in Odessa, accomplished first of all reaching a mutual ground, understanding that we all share the same DNA, which is building a stronger Jewish community and connecting with people.”

The sessions also included discussions on areas of mentoring, where one JCC has greater expertise than another, from volunteer engagement and fundraising to technical assistance with information technologies and disability accessibility. “What we have been working on today is very important for the peer-to-peer connection of all Jews around the world,” said Sebastian Palatnik, a member of the board of OHA Macabi in Buenos Aires. “There is a great opportunity to share histories, goals, values and in this way create a great global Jewish network which helps us to create projects, work on continuity. We are very excited with the conversations which arose with our peers from Ukraine, and the U.S.A. and are looking forward to seeing which projects come to light in the coming years.”

The teams will meet at least twice a month virtually over the next three years to carry out their projects, with another face-to-face meeting scheduled to take place in Israel in two years.

Alex Budnitsky, CEO and executive director of the Edith & Carl Marks Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn N.Y., which has a large population from the former Soviet Union, noted that the conference had provided a greater opportunity to learn from others than he had expected as he had come with the conscious understanding that he was participating in order to help the Ukrainian JCCs.

Together with partner Jonathan Ornstein, CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Krakow, Poland, Budnitsky also presented the “Pledge for Ukraine,” which they recently penned in order to keep the Jewish world’s attention on the on-going war in Ukraine, which is now entering its third year and in which they pledge to continue their humanitarian aid efforts to both Jewish and non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees until “Ukraine’s victory over Russia.” So far they have helped hundreds of thousands of people, the pledge notes.

“Guided by the Jewish idea of Tikkun Olam, and mindful of our People’s difficult history and frequent periods of upheaval, we call on our fellow Jewish institutions as well as our partners across the world to join us by signing this pledge and letting Ukraine and her citizens under attack know that we will continue supporting them in any way that we can for as long as we can,” the pledge states.

The participants also shared their recent experiences with antisemitism and ways in which they have been confronting it in their home countries, including through educational programs, vigils, non-sectarian day camp for children with cancer and their siblings run by the JCC and speaking at city council meetings.

Monica Kibrit of Mexico, chair of the JCC Global board of directors, said that the events in recent years have shown the importance of strengthening ties among the Jewish communities world wide and the meeting in Budapest provided an opportunity to learn more about the reality of the Jewish communities in Ukraine during the continuing war.

“Even though we do not live in Israel, we are very familiar with the day-to-day events in Israel. We are very Zionist, but… even though we read the newspapers, we do not understand the reality that [the Jewish community in Ukraine] is living,” said Kibrit, who noted that the Ukrainian Jewish communities are among the oldest in the world yet their JCCs are among the newest. 

“So they are in a process of adaptation and learning that we already have many years of experience in. And the war came to them, and they now have to reinvent themselves every day with very limited tools,” he said. “In the reality that we live today, what they are going through could happen to any of us… and sharing the strengths that each one has and also exposing and opening up to the weaknesses that one has… is an act of humility and of great brotherhood.”

JCC Global provided eJewishPhilanthropy with transportation and accommodation for the conference.