During the oppressive regimes of the Soviet Union, Russian Jews were denied access to the richness and beauty of the Hebrew calendar.
During the oppressive regimes of the Soviet Union, Eastern European Jews were denied access to the richness and beauty of the Hebrew calendar. Many Eastern European Jews never sat down to the Seder meal during Passover, or heard the reading of the Megilah or received Shalach Manos during Purim, never gazed at the flickering flames of the Chanukah Menorah, or heard the chilling and awesome sound of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
FREE has a special connection with the Russian-Jewish community in respect to Holiday Celebrations. FREE’s Holiday activities are a major factor in bringing families together and providing a continuity of Jewish youngsters, who are all too anxious to assimilate into non-Jewish American society.
FREE is dedicated to providing Russian Jews full access to the richness of their holiday heritage by organizing special rallies before a Jewish holiday, designed to inspire interest in the approaching festival.
FREE also engages in a media blitz, including interviews on major Russian Television stations, and articles in leading Russian/American newspapers explaining the significance of the holidays. FREE follows the rallies and media information with parties and ceremonies designed to encourage hands on celebration.
Thousands of Russian Jews enjoy and find their only connection to our Jewish Heritage at FREE’s Chanukah concerts and public menorah lightings, Purim and Megilah reading parties, community Seders, Sukkos celebration on the Boardwalk and mobile outreach Sukkah, High Holiday services, and children’s rallies for Lag B’Omer. These celebrations combine with other FREE events for other important Jewish holidays to form the backbone of FREE’s Holiday Awareness Campaign.
FREE compliments the celebration component with traditional learning and information so that Russian Jews can fully understand the historical, cultural, and spiritual components behind the holiday celebrations.
In order to ease the language barrier and allow Russian Jews to access their heritage, the Holiday Awareness Campaign joins forces with the FREE Publishing House and publishes over 50,000 professionally designed, full color brochures in the Russian language
providing informative and educational materials on Jewish holidays. All holiday guides contain the history of the holiday, its customs and traditions, as well as the inner spiritual meanings as explained by the teachings of Chasidus. These holiday brochures, as well as the Russian translation of the Megillat Esther and the Passover Haggada are circulated worldwide to tens of thousands of Russian Jews and Jewish organizations. In addition, brochures are printed in specialized editions in order to indicate proper candle-lighting times for each city.
If you are interested in more information about the Holiday Awareness Campaign, please contact FREE Headquarters at (718) 467-0860 or Email: info@friendsofrefugees.org.
Cong. Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe (F.R.E.E.) was founded in 1969 by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.
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