Meet Olena Kolpakova, Project Kesher Ukraine’s Regional Development Manager

As Project Kesher Ukraine’s Regional Development Manager, historian Olena Kolpakova brings to her role a lifetime of passion for Jewish history and women’s empowerment. Her professional journey began at Tkuma, the Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies, where she helped establish the Museum of Jewish Memory and the Holocaust in Ukraine. Now, she channels her expertise into meaningful initiatives that strengthen Jewish identity and uplift women across Ukraine.

Olena’s work is deeply personal—whether leading Mothers & Daughters seminars that celebrate generational traditions, spearheading the She Top project to equip Jewish women with digital skills and job opportunities, or overseeing the publication of the Ukrainian-language Haggadah For Our Freedom. She also plays a key role in Returning the Torah Home, a project dedicated to restoring Torah scrolls taken from Ukraine during WWII.

A longtime organizer of Limmud Ukraine, Olena believes in the power of community. Her dedication ensures that traditions, knowledge and strength continue to pass from generation to generation.