Mara Schwartz ORT KesherNet Centers
The Mara Schwartz ORT Keshernet computer centers have had a successful year despite great challenges. With the severe economic downturn in the entire region, the centers have become ever more vital, providing basic and advanced computer skills, economic and legal literacy training, and a home for PK women’s social activism training, and for the Jewish community as a whole.
This year, all of the centers operated fully remote and many also served as emergency service providers - tech support, connection to the Internet, lessons on Zoom, and remote work support. Staff report an increase in partnerships between communal organizations and the Mara Schwartz ORT KesherNet Centers. For example, collaborating with the Jewish community on programs to support working parents with kids in virtual school during lockdown and with local NGOs and municipalities to connect the more elderly and isolated members of our community. They became call centers for a variety of critical projects in the Project Kesher network. For example, with women unable to get to the doctor and no access to telemed in their countries, the centers were facilitating a call-in referral service to connect women in need of medical attention with medical experts to review records and meet via Zoom or phone.
In particular, the Mara Schwartz ORT Keshernet Center in Gomel, Belarus, has taken its place as the heart of the community at this time. Amidst political unrest and the pandemic the Gomel center has been used to host Jewish community events of all kinds, providing social distant and safe space, and administration, facilitation, and virtual platforms for classes on Jewish education, women’s leadership, and financial security. PK-trained leader in Belarus Natalia Liskovich offers programming for the entire community:
● Six computer and media classes per month for two age groups of Jewish children, 7-8 year olds and 10-12 year olds in partnership with Active Jewish Teens Junior. ● An Excel proficiency course for women in business and academia, focusing on skills to create and manipulate worksheets and use formulas and functions. The final class of this program will be held on July 11th, and participants will receive certificates. ● A weekly beginner level computer course for adults with more than 30 women participating.
● Financial Security and Internet Fraud, a program supported by the local government.
As some centers begin to reopen safely, all programs in the coming year will be hybrid. The vaccine and immunization situation in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine remains precarious as they are well into a fresh wave of the COVID-19 delta variant. These centers have provided not only job skills, empowerment, confidence, and tools to the Jewish community, but they have been a source for hope and action during a difficult year.