YEHUDIS FAYNBERG
Please tell us a little about your career.
I studied in Vienna, Austria, at the International University of Applied Sciences and received a specialist diploma in international management and business management. My specialty is economics, and I was able to successfully apply it, working as an accountant and manager in companies in Austria, Ukraine and Russia. In parallel, I privately taught English.
Where does your family come from?
All my grandfathers, grandmothers and parents come from Dnepropetrovsk. My paternal great-parents were a real religious family who lived their whole life in accordance with Jewish law. My great-grandmother Maryasha was so strict about keeping kosher that she would not even drink water in a stranger’s home. Unfortunately, in our family they were the last generation to abide by Jewish tradition, though some things were partially observed by their decedents. I attended a Jewish kindergarten, then went to a Jewish school. The University of Vienna, where I studied, I also studied Jewish subjects. Our entire family – me, my parents, grandfather and grandmother – went on holidays to the synagogue and took an active part in the life of the Jewish community of Dnepropetrovsk.
How and where did you meet your husband?
I met my future husband, Dovid Faynberg, during my first academic day at university. He had already been studying there for several years by that time. After graduation, he was offered a job in Rostov. Later, after completing my studies, I married Dovid and moved to Rostov.
How did the observance of Jewish traditions make its way into your life?
While studying at the university, I began increasing my study of Torah and observance of mitzvot. While living in Rostov, my husband and I gradually came to the conclusion that we wanted to live a real Jewish life. In 2012, the Chief Rabbi of the Rostov Jewish community invited my husband to work with the Jewish youth of the city of Rostov. Dovid organized holidays, seminars, training and entertainment programs. He was so successful that the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, invited Dovid to engage in activities for young people throughout Russia.
And what did you do in Rostov besides your work life?
On Sundays, I taught about Judaism to Jewish children attending public schools. It was very interesting, but also not easy, especially at the beginning when children of different ages studied together in the same group. In addition, I taught classes for Jewish girls. I even had my own group called Torah & Tea. These were weekly classes, during which we studied the weekly chapter of the Torah, discussed the role of the Jewish woman in the modern world, baked challah together, and drank tea.
How did you come to Canada?
My husband was offered a job at JRCC - organizing community programs and events. We arrived in November 2019.
Which neighborhood did you choose to live in?
We live a five-minute walk from the JRCC East Thornhill branch on Yonge Street, so that on Shabbat we can walk to the synagogue with the children. Of course, they stop at each tree and count all the squirrels, but we still manage to arrive on time.
What do you do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies?
In general, I like to draw, I like to read classical literature is close to me, as well as books related to interior design and art books.
If you had the opportunity to make “lechaim” with a historical character, a modern politician, a figure of literature and art, or just a friend, who would you choose? Why?
I would like to have a private audience with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, to personally receive his instruction and blessing, to guide me regarding what life path to choose. More precisely, what exactly to in terms of my career and my mission in this world, where I can be most effective, and how to grow spiritually daily.
My other desire is to get into the studio with the artist Claude Monet at the moment when he was doing his work, being already almost blind. He has unusual strokes: they seem to creep onto each other and have a complex convex texture. Claude Monet's canvases are the perfect embodiment of impressionism, the direction in painting that interests me.
What are your plans for the future?
I would like to build a solid foundation for my family, to give my children a quality Jewish education, because, in fact, this is one of the main reasons for our move to Canada.
