Grants Include Support for Hillel and Jewish Cemetery Restoration Projects in FSU, Toronto Federation Programs Aimed at the Local Russian Jewish Community, and Educational Trips for Russian-speaking IDF officers to FSU and North America

Genesis Philanthropy Group (GPG) has announced that it has approved an additional $1.2 million in grants to Jewish organizations in the former Soviet Union, Israel, and North America. The latest grants come three weeks after GPG’s award of $6 million to the Jewish Agency for Israel, which was announced
during Natan Sharansky’s visit to Moscow on September 1-2.

The latest grants approved by GPG include:

In the former Soviet Union:

• Hillel FSU – to strengthen the management team and organizational infrastructure, and to fund improvements in corporate governance and programmatic development of Hillel chapters in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet republics.
• Grassroots Initiative – in partnership with the UJA Jewish Federation of NY, support to the most innovative grassroots projects, aimed at strengthening the local Jewish communities.
• Lo Tishkach – to engage and strengthen Jewish identity for students through support of educational activities related to cemetery preservation initiatives, managed by the Claims Conference and Conference of European Rabbis under the leadership of Rabbi Aba Dunner.
• South-West Community Project – a planning grant to a small new Chabbad center in southeastern Moscow which is working on developing new innovative programming especially designed for nonaffiliated Russian Jewish children, including Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah preparation.

In Israel:

• Mohut – program designed to facilitate dialogue between Russian speaking Israeli military officers and local Jewish communities in Russia, Ukraine and United States, aimed at strengthening of Jewish identity among all participants.
• TV Beit Midrash – seminars to expand and enhance Jewish knowledge and to foster Jewish identity among Israeli Russian speaking journalists, with a goal of increasing engagement of the Russian speaking Jewish community in Israel.
• Community Development – strengthening of Jewish identity of Russian speaking immigrants across six Israeli communities.

In North America:

• UJA Federation of Greater Toronto – a project aimed at strengthening integration and promoting dialogue between Russian speaking Jews and the North American Jewish community in the Toronto area.
• Ezra USA – in addition to helping organization’s capacity building and operational improvements, funds will now be given to support Ezra’s Jewish travel initiative to Argentina designed to help young Russian-speaking Jews develop Jewish identity and strengthen community ties.