WJR Opens Jewish Community Centre - 'Beit Graham' - in Krivoy Rog
Earlier this week (Tuesday 12th May) World Jewish Relief (WJR) staff, volunteers and donors attended the official opening of the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in Krivoy Rog, a town in Central Ukraine.
WJR was joined by representatives from The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) - WJR's partners on the ground, local dignitaries including the Deputy Mayor of Krivoy Rog and hundreds of community members - from the very young to the very old, all who will benefit immediately and directly from the JCC.
In 2005, WJR adopted Krivoy Rog --a major steel town in Ukraine and with a population of 12,000 Jews - as an 'Our Town' project, committing to fully support the Jewish community there. The JCC building, until recently a dilapidated site that was unfit for use, was purchased by WJR. Richard Graham, one of WJR's major donors, generously committed to provide one third of the costs needed to complete the project.
Four years later, following dedicated fundraising efforts by WJR and its supporters to raise the remaining funds needed -- including events run by the Gemini and Birmingham committees - the JCC can now act as a focal point for the Krivoy Rog community. The centre offers exceptional facilities for welfare support, Jewish education and community life, including a computer centre, concert hall and space for communal festival celebrations.
Richard Graham commented:
"In 1915, my Grandfather and his brothers, who lived in Sheffield, the steel town of England, adopted the English name of Graham; we are deeply honoured that this magnificent building should now bear our name. My five visits to Krivoy Rog have given me enormous respect for your enthusiasm and energy. I always thought that I have a Jewish head and yet it took a visit to the Ukraine to make me really feel my Jewish heart.
"This building is a gift to you from the Jews of England through World Jewish Relief. However this Centre has only come to fruition because of the remarkable achievements of the Krivoy Rog Jewish community itself in creating a vibrant Jewish life out of the ashes of the holocaust and the oppression of communism."
The JCC includes a dedicated Children's Wing that is named in memory of Tony Brooks, a staunch WJR volunteer until his sad passing in 2006. Tony's wife, Bonnie Brooks, plus many members of her extended family, joined the 40-strong group from the UK to pay tribute to Tony and open the wing in his name. In honour of Tony's passion for WJR, particularly the Gifts in Kind humanitarian relief programme, hundreds of people have donated to the Tony Brook's Foundation, proceeds from which have contributed to the Children's Centre.
Nigel Layton, Chairman of WJR, addressed the guests, commenting:
"One of my first acts as chairman of World Jewish Relief was to come to this welcoming and wonderfully warm Jewish community to see what we could do to help you sustain and enhance Jewish life here. On the way home, my colleagues and I agreed to help you create a Jewish Community Centre as a home for use by your community.
And, Ladies and Gentlemen, some 6 years later, we have delivered as we stand proudly in front of Beit Graham, our magnificent new Jewish Community Centre.
I would like to thank the Graham family, in particular Richard and Louise, for their overwhelming generosity in support of this centre. Your commitment to this project has been unwavering and your tenacity has helped bring it to fruition."
Previous WJR Chairman Ashley Mitchell also attended the JCC opening, to honour his late parents Rose and Leon Mitchell, whose legacy was crucial in making the Krivoy Rog project a reality. At a celebratory concert following the opening, Ashley talked about how his parent's always encouraged him and his brother, Parry Mitchell, to understand their roots and give back to the community when they were in a position to do so.
The Edmond J Safra Foundation has pledged a critical donation towards the running costs of Beit Graham over the next five years. This will go towards ensuring that the centre is a crucial hub for the Jewish community.
The late Doris and Joseph Pacey, through the Doris Pacey Charitable Foundation administered by Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen and Ray Locke, were similarly generous in their support of the construction and the running costs of the centre. In advance of the JCC opening, Rabbi Cohen led the group in prayer at the Holocaust memorial site in Krivoy Rog, marking the murder of thousands of Jews.
