Empowering Women and Girls

 

CENTRAL TO THE MISSION OF PROJECT KESHER IS IDENTIFYING, SPOTLIGHTING AND RESPONDING TO THE OFTEN-OVERLOOKED NEEDS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS.

This support is crucial to Ukraine as women have been largely holding the country together since men have been drafted into military service.

 
 
 

The Women’s Opportunity Fund

a new entity created by Project Kesher Ukraine, is providing grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 to support small women’s businesses that need to rebuild or expand. 

To date, the fund has made grants totaling $322,000, funding such investments as: 

 
 

Cheese-making equipment for a dairy farmer

 
 

A dental chair for a displaced dentist

 
 

A sewing machine for a company training and hiring seamstresses.

 
 

Grant recipients report their newfound ability to support their families, hire additional employees, and give back to the community with in-kind gifts or services from their businesses. 

 
 
 
 

Mother-Daughter Retreats

Project Kesher has a long history of hosting Shabbat retreats for Jewish mother and daughter pairs from Ukraine, where they learn to become partners in building Jewish life and advocating for women and girls in their communities. Retreats work to improve communications, define healthy relationships and boundaries, and empower women and girls to go back to their towns and create social action projects in the areas of interfaith coalitions, women’s health, Jewish life and social justice.

In June 2023, Project Kesher Ukraine hosted an intergenerational Jewish leadership program in Lviv for ten mother-daughter pairs from Jewish communities in Lviv, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Shepetivka and Rivne.

The program focused on:

  • strengthening family bonds

  • learning from experts about the safety of their daughters,

  • finding opportunities to develop L’dor Vador (intergenerational) programs in their communities. 

Participants celebrated Kabbalat Shabbat together with members of Hillel Lviv. Seminars included: 

  • a conversation on puberty with a top OB/GYN, 

  • an interactive lecture on recognizing violence with experts from JurFem, the Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association, 

  • a master class on self-defense with members of The Krav Maga Federation of Ukraine.

 

In Israel, PKI is providing: 

Ulpan

Government funded Ulpan (Hebrew language courses) are available as a resource to help new immigrants adjust to life in Israel. However, because there is currently approximately a 1.5 year wait for these free classes, PKI has stepped in to provide Hebrew programs to help immigrants and refugees adjust as quickly and comfortably as possible. 

Financial Literacy Training

PKI’s training provides critical information on the banking and credit card systems in Israel, payments for rent, loan payments, reading pay stubs, pensions, budget management, benefits, job searches, and resume and cover letter writing.

Cultural Integration

PKI organizes tours of major Israeli academic and cultural institutions across the country. These trips help new immigrants and refugees strengthen their feeling of belonging in Israeli society and build community.

Support for Israel’s Russian-speaking LGBTQ Community:

PKI has been instrumental in supporting Russian-speaking LGBTQ+ immigrants, especially LGBTQ+ women facing institutionalized homophobia and legal barriers. These newcomers to Israel have been forced out of Russia due to the Putin administration’s escalated attacks on their community. For interfaith couples, where one partner is not Jewish, challenges are particularly significant—denial of citizenship, lack of financial support and restrictions on basic rights. PKI has addressed these barriers by providing critical services including mental health support, financial assistance, Ulpan (Hebrew language courses, and legal advocacy.