World Jewish News

Vitebsk Revival: Community Celebrates Construction of The Barry and Merle Ginsburg Building.

When they first decided to travel to Belarus, Barry and Merle Ginsburg traveled to the Vitebsk region to unearth their family history from the town of Gorodets. While they were searching for a link to their ancestors, they found a connection to a community still rife with Yiddishkeit in the center of Vitebsk.
Although the community of Vitebsk was greatly weakened following the events of the 20th century - World War I, The Holocaust, the rise of Communism - after the fall of the Soviet Union, a group of people began coordinating relief and renewal programs based in a small community gathering place. After a few years, the community realized that it was in desperate need of more space to run its programs, and began expanding the ground floor and building up towards a second floor. Due to lack of funds, however, the Vitebsk Jewish community was unable to achieve its goal of completing a new building.
Taken by the drive of the Jews of Vitebsk, Barry and Merle Ginsburg resolved to work together with the community to complete the expansion of the single-story structure into a three-story community center. With the help of their nephew and construction specialist, Lloyd Westerman, the Ginsburgs were propelled into a new project.
After months of planning, building, and a mid-construction inspection from the Ginsburgs and Mr. Westerman, The Barry and Merle Ginsburg Building was finished. Unable to wait for the furnishing of the new rooms, the eager community organized the second in a series of parties celebrating the completion of a phase in the life of the new edifice. In honor of this momentous occasion, the head of the Vitebsk community, Mark Pipkin, cut a ribbon on the doorway to the untouched staircase, and JDC Natzig, Yoni Leifer, ceremonially put up a mezuzah. Following this formal segment of the celebration, the Vitebsk Jewish choir and dance troupe performed their best Russian and Yiddish classics.
This yet unfurnished structure is providing the impetus to strengthen a damaged Jewish community which survived many tragedies of modern Jewish history. With its impressive new space, the building will provide generations of Belarusian Jews with Jewish education, health and welfare services, and social programming for all ages.
While the Jews of Vitebsk still wrestle with their future, the Ginsburgs are assisting the Jews in their struggle to rebuild their Jewish communal life. The next chapter in the Ginsburgs' enduring support of the community is providing furniture for the new space. Professionals, educators, volunteers, clients, and community members anxiously await the furbishing so that they can use the new rooms for programming, offices, and of course, organizing another celebration to be attended by the Ginsburgs themselves.

Источник: meod.by