At the heart of Northeast Philadelphia, KleinLife has long been a haven for displaced communities. Once an exclusively Jewish community center, it now serves a diverse population, including Ukrainian refugees who fled the war. In THE ROOTS WE CARRY, we come to know Yeva, Matvii and Yelysei, three of the Ukrainian children navigating a new life in America while family and friends remain in Ukraine, some on the frontlines.

Through KleinLife’s trauma-informed programs, the children use art, music, dance and theater to process the horrors they witnessed and the losses they carry. Guided by therapists and counselors, they are brought together with Holocaust survivors and other displaced elders who understand what it means to survive war, leave home and begin again. What develops is an extraordinary intergenerational and intercultural community where stories, creativity and shared experience help bridge generations.

Over three years, we watch the children grow, adapt and begin to build lives in America while still hoping they might return home. But the war does not end. For many, the hope of returning to Ukraine is gone. Towns remain under Russian occupation, families are separated, and some no longer have homes to return to.

Now their ability to stay in America is threatened as well. With an October 19 immigration deadline approaching, families who have begun to build lives here may be forced to leave by the U.S. government. At a critical moment of rising anti-immigrant sentiment, global conflict and deepening antisemitism, their stories reveal the enduring trauma of forced migration, the resilience of children, and the wisdom passed between generations. At its heart, THE ROOTS WE CARRY reminds us how imperative our shared humanity is.