June 2011
The FIRST CEREMONY OF AWARDING THE ROGATCHI FOUNDATION STIPENDIUM IN DNEPROPETROVSK, UKRAINE
On June 10th, 2011, in the immediate aftermath of the Shavuot Festival celebrating the giving the Torah to the Jewish people, The Rogatchi Foundation and the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community of Dnepropetrovsk has launched the first ceremony of the Foundation Stipendium for the children from the community’s two pensions.
In the warm, touching and well-attended ceremony, Michael Rogatchi was very happy to award the three first winners of the Foundation Stipendium – Zalman Luzhezky, Chaya-Mushka Simonjan and Rachel Rudowsky. The Foundation hopes that the stipendium would contribute to the further education of the best students from both pensions after their graduation from the school.
All 27 children participated in the school year 2010-2011 contest on the best results of studying of Torah for boys, and on the best results of studying of the Jewish history and traditions for girls, were awarded with their personal Torah and volumes of The Chassidic Stories and special diplomas which are limited edition personalised works based on the art photos by Inna Rogatchi. All children were also awarded with signed copies of albums of Michael Rogatchi’s The Patriarchs & The Matriarch art series.
The Director of the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community which lists over 70 thousand members, Zelig Brez in his opening speech thanked Inna and Michael Rogatchi for establishing that important stipendium for the children who would benefit from it the most. “Most importantly, Inna and Michael had put a part of their own soul into this deed, as well as their own time and energy. They were involved in every step of this project, and their attitude towards each and every child has been nothing but a detailed and warm attention”. Zelig Brez passed on to Inna and Michael Rogatchi the blessing of Shmuel Kaminetski, the Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk and Dnepropetrovsk region; and has expressed his own deep admiration of “the Rogatchis’ spiritual endeavours”.
Director of the Dnepropetrovsk yeshiva Rabbi Reuben Chupin focused on the idea behind the name of the stipendium – Anna Bujanover Stipendium, which has come to commemorate the memory of Inna Rogatchi’s late mother, prolific teacher Anna Bujanover whose birthday has become the date for the ceremony to celebrate it symbolically, as well. Rabbi Chupin emphasised: “when thinking on what children can do for their parents who have left the material world, it is impossible to imagine more of that than it has been done by Inna and Michael Rogatchi”. “To provide Jewish children with a possibility to get into Torah studies, to prompt them to do that, to stimulate this vital process, – what can be more beautiful for a human deed?”- addressed Rabbi Chupin the audience.
Teacher of the Dnepropetrovsk yeshiva Rabbi Akiva Romanovsky who is teaching Jewish traditions there and who knows all the children present very well working with them on a daily basic, was talking of the importance of the attention they are getting in the process of their bringing up and education. “While we in the community are trying very hard to give the children a good education and proper care, the personal attention to them, the interest in their life and being, is invaluable. And from that point of view, we are blessed with such friends as Inna and Michael Rogatchi and their Foundation, to provide our children with all this personal and highly valuable attention”.
Head of the pension for girls Yalta Barak did emphasise that ‘this stipendium is an unique phenomenon not only for our two pensions but for many institutions like that both in Ukraine and Israel where I am coming from. When children are getting such warm and special attention and interest towards them from very well-known people, big artists, writers, who are sharing a part of their very busy lives and what they are creating, with them, it gives really unique, unparalleled impulse for the children’s entire life which is right now at the vital stage of its developing. Our children who will be continuing their lives and their education in different places after they will be finishing school with us, now will be stimulated to think on more options in life, to get more interests, and their eyes will be opened yet wider. Such impact is really hard to over-estimate”.
A highly talented young duo, the Webber brothers, Yehil and Mendy, who are known as ‘the Golden Voices of the Community’ performed a little concert at the ceremony with huge success and great pleasure of the audience.
In his address to the children and the attending guests, Michael Rogatchi emphasised the role of education for the entire life of every human being, and its particular importance for Jewish people. ‘We were thinking to introduce the stipendium with a specific focus to help the children to accumulate some funds for their further education. We hope that your further education will be serious, productive and very much enjoyable for everyone from you. My wife, the daughter of great teacher Anna Bujanover, and I, are very happy to participate in such beneficiary especially because education has always been, is, and will be one of the key values of our people”, – said the vice-president of The Rogatchi Foundation.
The Rogatchi Foundation is continuing its work supporting the children living in pensions. One of Michael Rogatchi’s works, Spring Awakening, has been designated by the artist for charity sale at his ongoing exhibition in Florence, with 50% of the proceeds going for the Orphan Stipendium project in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine (another 50% will be going to OrphanAid in Africa which is the ongoing charity of The Rogatchi Foundation partner, Baglioni Hotels Group).
The Rogatchi Foundation and its co-founders, Michael and Inna Rogatchi also will be launching a special international fund-raising campaign to support the Orphan Stipendium project in Ukraine in the near future.