When I’ve been invited to take part in a teen seminar in Moldova, as part of my last and exciting placement this year working with AJT (Active Jewish Teens) movement in the FSU, I of course said yes. I’ve never visited Moldova before, and when I received the flight tickets I slowly realised I’m flying to Chisinau, Moldova. Chisinau. The only thing I knew about Chisinau was Chisinau Pogrom. Was I really going to attend a Teen Jewish seminar in Chisinau?

 

In Chisinau I met with passionate teens that want to take part in Jewish life. Teens that sing passionately the blessing on the food, teens that are eager to learn to lead the Shabbat Kiddush, teens that dance to Hebrew songs, teens that just learned about Jewish teens in other parts of the world and want to lead and to learn and to make an impact. 

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One of the teens asks me at some point if I visited Chisinau city, I reply that I just arrived, straight to the seminar. She replies that well, this will be the most exciting thing to participate in in Chiisnau, in general and also specifically in the Jewish community. And indeed, a gathering of almost 30 teens in Moldova could not be taken for granted. Events involving more than a few dozen Jews are rare here, and Rami, one of the guides, speaks with uncertainty about the prospects for a future in the poorest country in the World Health Organization’s Europe zone, with a median monthly salary of $250. Most of her friends went studying abroad and probably won’t return. 

 

At some point I’m introduced to Nikolai Raylyan, that visited the seminar. Nikolai started the Volunteer Community in Moldova. An organisation that offers opportunities for people to volunteer, and also suggest volunteer opportunities. In a society where the word “volunteer” doesn’t exist, it is truly revolutionary. The organisation explains people the importance of volunteering and what it is all about. The organisation has grown to different parts of the FSU, but in Moldova they succeeded to make a huge impact working with the Government. The government acknowledged volunteering as work experience, so when you are applying for a job or when you are retired, the years that you volunteered are taken into account. This is a huge change that makes a real difference in the civil society.  

 

In a similar way, empowering these teens to lead, to care and to make a difference might hold a much larger significance to the Jewish community in Moldova and Moldova’s society at large.