Students of the Jewish Chernivtsi Lyceum No. 15 ‘ORT’ presented the team ‘Cossacks’ at the ‘Vporiad’ competition within the framework of the all-Ukrainian children’s and youth military-patriotic game ‘Sokil’ (‘Dzhura’)

In Chernivtsi, students of Chernivtsi Lyceum No. 15 “ORT” presented the performance of the team “Kozaky” at the competition “Vporiad” (drill and song review, team drill training) as part of the All-Ukrainian children’s and youth military-patriotic game “Sokil” (“Dzura”). This was reported by the lyceum itself on April 22, 2026, specifically emphasizing that along with the team’s performance, the “Book of Achievements of the Educational Institution” (“Book of Achievements of the Educational Institution”) was also presented.

At first glance, this is an ordinary school news. But behind it lies a broader context: it is about a municipal educational institution with a Jewish ethnocultural component, historically associated with the international ORT network, and the competition itself takes place within the official all-Ukrainian program conducted by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in the 2025/2026 academic year.

What happened in Chernivtsi

According to the lyceum’s publication, the school brought the team “Kozaky” (“Cossacks”) to the competition and presented it specifically in the discipline “Vporiad”.

At the same time, the “Book of Achievements of the Educational Institution” (“Book of Achievements of the Educational Institution”) was shown, which is a kind of chronicle of the lyceum’s successes and notable results. Such an emphasis is important in itself: the school linked the current performance not just with a one-time school number, but with its reputation, history, and public image of the educational institution.

The name of the team also looks symbolic.

“Kozaky” naturally fits into the language and symbolism of the game “Sokil” (“Dzura”), where the Cossack tradition, team discipline, drill coherence, and patriotic education play an important role. Therefore, even a short school post actually speaks of a prepared work — with rehearsals, coordination, and public presentation of the school on an external platform.

What is “Vporiad” and what is the game “Sokil” (“Dzura”)

The competition “Vporiad” in this system is not just a word about “order”. In the context of the game “Sokil” (“Dzura”), it is associated with drill training, posture, discipline, synchronization of team actions, and command execution. Essentially, it is a format close to a drill and song review, where not only appearance and presentation are evaluated, but also the ability of the group to act as a single entity.

“Sokil” (“Dzura”) https://www.facebook.com/dzhura.main/ — an all-Ukrainian children’s and youth military-patriotic game of the Ukrainian Cossacks. – https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Сокіл_—_Джура

Created in 2003 by a group of Cossacks led by the bunched comrade of the Ukrainian Cossacks Petro Brovko and the general bunched Taras Chukhleb and approved by the General Chancellery of the Ukrainian Cossacks by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The game is a form of extracurricular work on patriotic and moral education of schoolchildren, a means of forming patriotic consciousness, sports and health work. The organization of the game in educational institutions relies on student self-government, based on the traditions of the Cossack circle, free people’s assembly, and represents a voluntary association of children to perform the tasks of the game. The game is conducted by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine with the assistance of other ministries, departments, and public organizations. At the national level, it has been held since 2009. The game received a new impetus in development in 2015 when it was included in the Strategy of National-Patriotic Education of Children and Youth for 2016–2020, approved by the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated October 13, 2015 No. 580.

Dzura, tsyura or chura — this is how in Ukraine in the 16th–18th centuries they called a squire, a student of the Cossack elders. Usually, dzuras were young guys. Together with the Cossacks, dzuras went on campaigns, participated in battles. The origin of the term dzura is not precisely determined.

By order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for the 2025/2026 academic year, the All-Ukrainian children’s and youth military-patriotic game “Sokil” (“Dzura”) is being conducted. The official document specifies the age categories of participants, organizational stages, and event plans. The game covers the younger group 6–10 years, the middle 11–14 years, and the senior 15–17 years, and is accompanied by methodological meetings, work with parents, preparation of educators and instructors, and further stages throughout the academic year.

This means that the participation of the lyceum team in “Vporiad” is not just a stage performance. It is part of the official state system of educational and competitive events, where schools present their teams and are included in the general patriotic program.

What is Lyceum No. 15 “ORT” and why is this detail important

Chernivtsi Lyceum No. 15 “ORT” is not just a school with an unusual abbreviation. On the official website of the educational institution, it is designated as a lyceum “with the study of the Jewish ethnocultural component”, that is, with the study of the Jewish ethnocultural component. And World ORT materials directly indicate that Chernivtsi Lyceum “ORT” #15 historically developed as a Jewish secondary school and is part of the ORT environment in Ukraine.

Therefore, in this story, not only the performance itself is important, but also who exactly is performing.

Students of the Jewish ORT school in Chernivtsi freely and openly participate in the all-Ukrainian military-patriotic project, not as an exception and not on the periphery, but as part of the general school and civic life of the country. This is a fundamentally important detail against the backdrop of the fact that global Jewish organizations and monitoring structures record a sharp increase in anti-Semitism in different countries and directly speak of the global strengthening of this threat.

What is ORT in Ukraine and where do schools of this network operate

ORT in Ukraine is part of the international Jewish educational network World ORT. According to the organization itself, ORT Ukraine supports more than 7,000 students, uniting five ORT schools, two affiliated schools, and also cooperating with a number of non-Jewish educational institutions.

The ORT network in Ukraine includes five ORT schools:
Lyceum #141 ORT Kyiv in Kyiv,
Educational Complex “Simcha” #325 in Kyiv,
Odesa ORT Zhabotinski Lyceum #94 in Odesa,
“ORT-Aleph” Lyceum in Zaporizhzhia,
Chernivtsi Lyceum “ORT” #15 in Chernivtsi.

In addition, World ORT indicates another two affiliated schools:
Levi Yitzhak Schneerson Lyceum #144 in Dnipro
and Bila Tserkva Corporate The Family Schreiber Lyceum in Bila Tserkva.

ORT Ukraine itself was created in 2000 to support and develop education in the country, and the return of ORT to Ukraine in the modern period began back in 1997 with the opening of the first school of the network in Odesa. Later, ORT’s cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine was formalized by a separate memorandum.

That is why Chernivtsi Lyceum No. 15 “ORT” is not an isolated story and not a single case. It is part of a broader Jewish educational infrastructure in Ukraine, which operates in several major cities of the country and connects the Jewish ethnocultural component with modern school education.

Such news reads broader than school chronicles

That is why such news reads broader than school chronicles.

It shows that Jewish students in Ukraine are not excluded from the national space and are not closed within a narrow community framework. On the contrary, they participate in nationwide programs, perform at public competitions, represent their school, and at the same time remain part of the Jewish educational context. For a time when anti-Semitism has once again become a noticeable and open problem in many countries around the world, this looks especially indicative.

In this context, something else is especially important.

Ukrainian Jewish organizations have emphasized for many years that the Jewish community of the country stands together with Ukrainian society and experiences the war together with the entire country. The Vaad of Ukraine has explicitly stated that the Jewish community stands with Ukrainians against Russian aggression, and Jews fight on the front alongside citizens of Ukraine of other nationalities. It was also emphasized that attempts to use the “Jewish question” to justify Russian aggression are part of propaganda.

That is why the story with the ORT lyceum in Chernivtsi is important not only as a school episode.

It fits into a broader reality in which the Jewish community of Ukraine does not stand aside but participates in the defense of the country, in civic life, and in general educational and patriotic formats. Against this background, the participation of the team “Kozaky” in the game “Sokil” (“Dzura”) is perceived not as a random detail, but as part of the overall picture: Jewish schools, Jewish families, and Jewish communities of Ukraine today live within the same historical and military reality as the entire Ukrainian people.

For Chernivtsi, a city with a powerful Jewish historical layer, such a plot sounds especially voluminous. The message about the team “Kozaky”, the competition “Vporiad”, and the presented “Book of Achievements of the Educational Institution” is no longer just a short school report, but news about how a specific Jewish ORT school in modern Ukraine participates in a nationwide program and how this experience connects school life, Jewish identity, and Ukrainian civic agenda. For the audience of NAnovosti — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency, this is precisely the case when a small event reveals a much broader social meaning.