Meet Project Kesher Ukraine’s Mariia Beron

Mariia Beron serves as the Project and Community Coordinator at Project Kesher Ukraine and the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager at the Women's Opportunity Fund of Ukraine (WOF-UA). Born in Odesa to a Russian-speaking family, Mariia’s personal story reflects the impact of Russification, which led her family to lose touch with both Ukrainian and Jewish traditions in just one generation. Her first meaningful encounter with Jewish culture came at age 13 during a camp organized by the Jewish Agency for Israel. There, her Jewish identity came to life. inspiring her to become a madrich and lead others in exploring their own heritage.

Mariia was inspired to join Project Kesher when she discovered the organization’s Ukrainian-language Haggadah. In 2023, she joined the team, contributing to the “Not on Pause” project, which seeks to remove stigma around menopause. What started as a side role quickly became a central passion, motivating Mariia to further invest in building communities and leading honest, transformative conversations. She soon took on coordination of the “Leaders: Next Generation” project and deepened her work with the Women’s Opportunity Fund, finding purpose in every challenge and moment of growth.

Outside her professional life, Mariia enjoys reading, learning languages and spending time with her husband, family and friends. She also finds creative joy in sculpting with clay—one of her favorite pieces is a Hanukkiah she crafted two years ago. Whether through art, conversation or community leadership, Mariia brings a deep sense of care and purpose to everything she does, helping others deeply connect with their identities.