{"id":2384,"date":"2025-03-30T09:50:41","date_gmt":"2025-03-30T09:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/?p=2384"},"modified":"2025-06-23T09:52:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T09:52:28","slug":"an-update-from-dnipro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/30\/an-update-from-dnipro\/","title":{"rendered":"An update from Dnipro"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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A Tragic Loss in Dnipro<\/strong><\/p>

Dear Friends,<\/p>

It is with profound sadness that we share heartbreaking news from Dnipro, Ukraine, which endured one of its worst nights since the war began. On Thursday and Friday, a devastating barrage of rockets and drones took the lives of four people and injured dozens more. Among the buildings destroyed were several homes, a well-known restaurant at a landmark resort, long familiar to early travelers to the region, and the Jewish day school, which sustained damage while thankfully closed.<\/p>

Among the lives lost was Dr. Olga Semirenko<\/strong>, a beloved member of the Jewish community.<\/p>

Since 2017, Olga z\u201dl has served as a founding mentor for Dnipro Visiting Moms<\/em>, a CJP-sponsored initiative in partnership with Jewish Family & Children\u2019s Services. In Dnipro, the program is led by Action\u2019s Ella Goncharova, and Action-PSJ has supported it for years with humanitarian aid shipments. With quiet dedication, Olga offered comfort, wisdom, and care to new mothers navigating the early months of parenting in uncertain times.<\/p>

Olga was a medical doctor with more than 30 years of service, a mother of three, and a grandmother. Her home was completely destroyed by a suicide drone. Miraculously, her daughter and grandchildren were visiting friends at the time. Across the street, Risha, the daughter of Dnipro\u2019s rabbi\u2014also a young mother\u2014was away for Shabbat when her home was struck. Another community member narrowly escaped injury while driving nearby.<\/p>

Our colleague Ella is physically safe, though emotionally shaken. The war is getting closer and growing more personal with each passing week.<\/p>

Olga\u2019s funeral will take place on Monday at the Jewish cemetery in Dnipro.<\/p>

May her memory be a blessing.<\/strong><\/p>

As we prepare to mark Action\u2019s 50th year, we do so with a heavy heart\u2014but also a clear purpose. Olga\u2019s life is a powerful reminder of what our work is truly about: showing up for people in their most vulnerable moments, with compassion, presence, and persistence.<\/p>

In one week, on April 6th, at our 50th anniversary gathering, we will remember those we\u2019ve lost, honor those who continue to serve, and recommit ourselves to Action\u2019s mission of sustaining Jewish life with dignity\u2014no matter the distance or the danger.<\/p>

As we gather to celebrate, we will also take a moment to honor those no longer with us\u2014those whose passion, perseverance, and dedication helped lay the foundation for all we do today. Their memory continues to guide and inspire our work, reminding us that every act of service is part of a much larger story.<\/p>

If there is someone you would like us to remember during this brief reflection, we invite you to share their name(s) and their connection to Action. Please email u<\/a>s at celebratingaction@actionpsj.org<\/strong> by Wednesday, April 2<\/strong>. Together, we will lift their legacy with gratitude and love.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Thank you for standing with us.<\/p>

With gratitude and sorrow,
Debbie<\/strong>
<\/strong>Executive Director, Action for Post-Soviet Jewry<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTo support our work in Ukraine<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the wake of recent events, the words of my friend echoed in my mind: “My heart breaks twice\u2013once for Ukraine and now Israel.” These sentiments<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":918,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2384"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2388,"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384\/revisions\/2388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionpsj.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}