Year 10 students’ fundraising campaign
"I had tears in my eyes just hearing her firsthand experience and seeing the eyes of the students who were reliving this experience through her speech."
Mount Scopus Memorial College and Souper Kitchen have teamed up as part of the school’s Shoah Jewish History unit, with year 10 students helping to raise money to bring Ukrainian refugees to Australia.
As part of its “Don’t be a bystander” fundraising campaign, Mount Scopus hosted Ukrainian refugee, Julia Kirilevitch, who spoke to the students about her personal experience during the war, which was only seven weeks ago.
Souper Kitchen helped Kirilevitch and her family make their way to Australia and assisted in finding them a sponsor, the Melbourne-based charity aiming to help those who are disadvantaged in the Jewish community.
Recently Souper Kitchen has developed a project called Soft Landing that specifically addresses the issue of Ukrainian displaced people, assisting with everything from visa applications, financial support to get flights to Australia, temporary accommodation once they arrive, employment, and finding schooling for their children once here.
Co-founder of Souper Kitchen, Sarah Bendetsky, told The AJN, “It was a very humbling experience to hear Julia’s story.
“I had tears in my eyes just hearing her firsthand experience and seeing the eyes of the students who were reliving this experience through her speech,” she said.
Bendetsky added, “The fact that [the students] are so far away and they still care and they fundraise and they do all they can not to be bystanders, that’s also very humbling.”
Kirilevitch was a successful businesswoman living in Ukraine one day and living in the middle of a war the next.
With the help of Souper Kitchen, Kirilevitch’s husband and two children are also safely in Melbourne. Her kids are already in school and her husband is working too, and they are living in a lovely and cosy (albeit sparsely furnished) home.
Each visa application costs $145, and Scopus aimed to raise enough money to support at least 10 to 20 visas as well as other emergency needs.
Scopus students managed to raise over $2500 as part of their “Don’t be a bystander” fundraising campaign.
“It gives me hope that together, we can change many more lives,” Bendetsky said.
“It is a circle of giving; we’re all in it together and it was a very special experience for us.”
To donate to Souper Kitchen go to:https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-ukrainian-refugees-to-get-to-australia
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