The Ukraine is Weak?

Everything I ever wanted to know about the Ukraine, I learned from Seinfeld:

Newman: I'm not beaten yet. I still have armies in the Ukraine.

Kramer: Ha ha, the Ukraine. Do you know what the Ukraine is? It's a sitting duck. A road apple, Newman. The Ukraine is weak. It's feeble. I think it's time to put the hurt on the Ukraine.

Ukrainian: I come from Ukraine. You not say Ukraine weak.

Kramer: Yeah, well we're playing a game here, pal.

Ukrainian: Ukraine is game to you?! How 'bout I take your little board and smash it!?!

We're planning on going to the Ukraine early next year for a trip to visit Jewish communities in the Former Soviet Union. We are excited to be part of a big group of Americans who are living in Jerusalem and will be going on the trip through Hebrew Union College. Almost all of the participants are first year rabbinical or cantorial students at HUC. They spend their first year of their five-year program here in Jerusalem, at the HUC campus adjacent to the Old City of Jerusalem.

So, for several years, the students of HUC have worked to plan and fundraise to send dozens of HUC students and their close friends (like us) to Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus to spend a week working with Jewish communities there. The Jewish communities in these countries are not well-supported and are just starting to coalesce because under the decades of communism, the USSR wasn't too supportive of religion.

Thus, there are communities that need outside help to learn about Jewish culture and ritual. That's where HUC steps in to help. It's exciting to be part of this group. We're really looking forward to the trip. We're also excited because all trip participants need to be part of the planning so Jen and I are each on a planning committee.