‘Semirya’ Camp in Rostov Offers Lifeline for Jewish Children with Special Needs and Their Families

Five years ago, the Jewish community of Rostov, under the leadership of Chief Rabbi and Chabad emissary Chaim and Mrs. Kalya Danzinger, established Semirya, an organization dedicated to supporting children with special needs and their families. Semirya—named from the Russian words semya (family), mir (world), and ya (I)—symbolizes a vision of opening up the world and strengthening families through care and connection.

Among Semirya’s core projects is a daily therapeutic center in Rostov, which provides a wide range of services including speech, physical, and psychological therapies. The center also offers vital social and emotional support to parents, who often face tremendous personal and logistical challenges.

Each summer, the organization hosts the Semirya Summer Camp—a transformative experience for both children and parents. This year, the camp welcomed 110 participants, including 70 children and their caregivers, primarily mothers. Families traveled from across Russia, including from cities as distant as Khabarovsk—8,000 kilometers away—and Chelyabinsk, journeying thousands of kilometers for a rare opportunity to feel embraced, included, and supported.

Located in a picturesque mountain region renowned for its fresh air and healing thermal springs, the camp is held in a site doctors often recommend for children’s health. Despite being a seven-hour journey from Rostov, the location is ideally suited to the wellbeing of the participants, offering natural resources that enhance the camp’s therapeutic mission.

“Special needs children in Russia are often the most underserved group in society,” said Rabbi Danzinger. “Being both Jewish and having special needs creates even more isolation. Our goal is to unite these families, offer them care, and give them hope.” He added: “While special needs camps in USA and Europe focus primarily on social support and fun, in Russia, children often lack access to therapists, doctors, and trained professionals. Our camp strikes a crucial balance—providing both a joyful and inclusive experience, and the therapeutic and medical attention that these children need. We’ve even seen children who learned to speak for the first time at camp, something they had not achieved in their home cities.”

The camp is uniquely structured to meet these families’ needs. A full range of therapies is provided, including equine-assisted therapy—a particularly impactful approach involving guided interaction with horses. While trained staff and specialists engage the children in therapeutic and educational activities, the mothers are offered rest, community, and meaningful programming.

This year’s highlights included “Kindness in a Cup”—a café run by the children, where they served coffee and handmade chocolates each morning. The initiative not only brought joy and pride to the young participants but also introduced them to valuable life skills. The café proved so popular that parents requested it continue beyond camp. As a result, the community is now planning to open a permanent “Kindness in a Cup” coffee shop at the synagogue in Rostov.

Evenings at camp were marked by heartfelt conversations between staff and parents, offering rare moments of openness, connection, and healing. “Just having someone listen to them means the world,” shared Rabbi Danzinger, reflecting on one particularly emotional session that lasted several hours.

Looking ahead, the demand for Semirya’s camp has exceeded capacity. Organizers are now planning to expand the program next summer with two separate sessions, aiming to ensure that every child and family who needs the support of Semirya will have the opportunity to participate.

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