Russian Jewish Congress

Russian
Jewish Congress
At the Center of Jewish life
in Russia since 1996
If I am not for
myself, then who
will be for me?
And if I am only for
myself, then what
am I?
And if not now,
when?
(Hillel)
Contents
Contact
information:
46 Bolshaya Pereyaslavskaya St.,
Building 2 (third floor), Moscow,
Russia, 129110
Tel. +7 (495) 777-65-75
Fax: +7 (495) 777-65-74
E-mail: [email protected]
www.rjc.ru
Opening remarks
1
Structure
2
Budget
3
Main activities
4
The Holocaust
6
Victory Memorial in Israel
7
Cultural projects
8
Museums
9
Charitable activities
10
Educational projects
11
Informational activities
12
Fighting anti-Semitism and xenophobia
13
Russian Jewish Congress Governing Structure
14
1
RJC’s objective
We are Jews and we live in Russia. We are part of Russia,
and we are part of the Jewish people. We shall not give
up either of these elements because both are integral to
our reality. We value them both, we want reasons to be
proud of both, and these reasons should be obvious to
both others and ourselves.
RJC President Yury Kanner
Russian Jewish Congress leadership
during a 3-day pre-Passover hike in
the Arava desert in Israel. April 2012
This is something that can’t be done all at once; it is not
an occurrence, but rather a process. It is the result of
persistent efforts, investment, creative ideas and their
implementation, and multi-faceted organizational endeavors. Our goal is to encourage a prosperous, developed, dynamic Jewish community that is proud of its
past and looks confidently towards the future, firmly
standing on Russian land while clearly facing Jerusalem.
The creation and maintenance of a foundation so that
the Jewish community in Russia could do just that
forms the raison d’etre of the Russian Jewish Congress
(RJC). The RJC is the first universal all-Russian Jewish
organization, which laid the groundwork for, and set an
example for, several other Jewish organizations of various kinds. We maintain contact and collaborate with
these organizations, as well as perform joint projects
and encourage the establishment of new Jewish organizations, especially in the regions.
Our role remains unchanged: we provide a healthy environment for the development of Jewish communal life
in Russia. As practice has shown, nobody will do it for
us. We have done it and will continue to do this. But
with your support, this process can take place faster,
better and more efficiently.
RJC Structure
BUREAU OF THE PRESIDIUM
The supreme body in the Fund’s management,
which determines the Fund’s strategy and
takes decisions about its work.
Annual contribution
$370,000
PRESIDIUM OF THE CHARITABLE FUND
Approves decisions taken by the Bureau of
the Presidium, meets once a year.
Annual contribution
*
VICE PRESIDENTS
Manage and oversee specific projects.
Annual contribution
*
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Coordinates the work of projects and their
direction.
Annual contribution
PHILANTHROPISTS
2
* Contributions from members of the Presidium and
Board of Directors, as well as vice-presidents, are negotiated individually, but amount to at least $50,000 per person.
*
At RJC, benefactors are able to send their donations for
the Fund’s management or make an earmarked contribution; that is, they are able to independently determine what they would like their donation dedicated to.
In other words, in working with the RJC, the donor can
be sure of the targeted use of the contributed funds.
Under any form of cooperation with the Fund, the
RJC’s leadership reports to the benefactor regarding
the targeted use of any funds they have contributed,
and ensures full transparency when it comes to ex
penditures.
3
RJC budget
2012
$9,500,000
$8,720,000
$6,770,000
RJC Board Members simultaneously oversee the RJC and other major charitable
funds; the volume of financing considerably exceeds the RJC’s budget:
Genesis Philanthropy Group
Phoenix Fund
Charity Fund of Mountain Jews (STMEGI)
Jewish Agency for Israel
Wolfson Foundation
Account information
American Friends of Russian Jewish Congress
First Tennessee Bank Memphis,TN
SWIFT: FTBMUS44 ABA routing number: 084000026
Beneficiary: EAGLE BANK Beneficiary account: 100247994
Bank Address: 7815 Woodmont Avenue ,Bethesda, MD 20814,301-986-1800
Routing or ABA # 055003298
Address: 2020 K Street, NW, Suite 7800, Washington, D.C. 20006
Account # 200050334
2011
2010
4
RJC’s main activities
We are interested in promoting the development of Jewish life throughout Russia. For this reason, over the past
few years, the RJC has been pursuing a new strategy, the
essence of which involves the delegation of authority
and responsibility to the regions.
The RJC not only supports existing communities and
fosters the creation of new communities, but also helps
strengthen them. In particular, it helps them to find
their own sources of funding and stipulates terms for
independently allocating funds for the local communitties’ needs. According to the new scheme, the RJC
intentionally departs from the rigid hierarchical, pyramidal control system espoused by most Jewish organizations, where all the funds are accumulated by the central organization and, from there, are distributed to the
regions for various purposes.
It’s hard for those sitting in Moscow to see where the
need is greater for Jews somewhere in the Arkhangelsk
Region or the Khabarovsk Region, whether it be a new
computer lab or additional spots in the soup kitchen.
There are many Jews living in Russia’s regions who are
no less responsible, and often have the same financial
means. They are themselves capable of determining
what the priority needs of their local communities are
and finding the resources to meet them. They only need
to be mobilized to engage in such activities, thereby
empowering them, and also need to receive some as-
sistance - organizational, material and intellectual - to
help them in these endeavors. To achieve this, we cre
ated Regional Boards of Trustees. In 2011, the number
of such Boards increased by one-third, from 16 to 24.
Over time, more and more of them will be formed, and
they shall grow, both in terms of their opportunities and
authority.
We expect that regional Boards of Trustees themselves
will independently to accumulate funding for the further development of their communities and that they
will themselves hire rabbis, Sunday school teachers, and
managers for individual projects. After all, the one who
pays the piper can name the tune and even the musicians.
What was old is like new again. This is the way that Jewish communities of Eastern Europe were formed in the
13th-19th centuries: Jewish businessmen, including
the farm operator, the miller, the breeder - gave work
to other Jews, built a synagogue and a mikvah for them,
hired the rabbi, the teacher for a cheder, and founded
the yeshiva. That is how Jewish towns and neighborhoods in large cities came about.
With the establishment of regional Boards of Trustees,
we hope to attract not only, and not even in particular,
funds from local entrepreneurs, but also to involve them
in the revival of Jewish communities, culture, tradition
5
Visual of a
Synagogue in
Saratov
and national self-identification. Owing to this process,
the RJC is not pulling back from its attention to local
communities, but rather intensifying it. According to
the new scheme, from its Central Fund, the RJC adds
10% to any amount of funds raised by a regional Board
of Trustees, and that amount is also provided to the
Board to distribute for that local community’s needs.
At the same time, the RJC continues to implement its
own projects in the regions. Thus, a synagogue was built
in Tomsk and one is currently under construction in
Saratov, while the restoration of an historic synagogue
is in the preparation stage in Voronezh.
In 2011, RJC regional offices collected a total of
$1.4 million.
Synagogue
in Voronezh
Synagogue in Tomsk
Contact
information:
46 Bolshaya Pereyaslavskaya St.,
Building 2 (third floor), Moscow,
Russia, 129110
The RJC is also involved, together with the regional
Boards of Trustees and the Jewish Agency “Sochnut”, in
providing financial, organizational and methodological
support for 18 Sunday schools.
Tel. +7 (495) 777-65-75
Fax: +7 (495) 777-65-74
E-mail: [email protected]
www.rjc.ru
The Holocaust: without the
past, there is no future
6
Keeping the memory of the Holocaust
alive is a basic element of Jewish national identity and an important lesson for all mankind. We must faithfully
maintain this memory and ensure that
others also do not forget.
There are numerous RJC projects working towards this end and, from time
to time, new ones are introduced.
The “Restore Dignity” project begin
in 2009 at the initiative of the President of the RJC, the main objective of
which is to search out places where the
mass executions of Jews were carried
out during the Holocaust, to build and
erect new monuments in their memory,
and to bring existing monuments into
conformity with halacha. A number of
projects are being carried out within
Unveiling of a
commemorative
monument in
Lubavitchi
the framework of RJC interfaith relations. Thus, as part of the “Restore Dignity” project, a memorial to Holocaust
victims was established in the city of
Lubavitchi together with Russian Protestants. The search for burial sites is
also taking place within Russia, and
reconstruction works are being carried
out in the Stavropol Region. The RJC
regularly cooperates with leading organizations in terms of researching the
Holocaust, including the Holocaust
Center in Moscow, the Yad Vashem memorial complex in Jerusalem, and many
others.
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7
Victory Memorial
in Israel
The RJC is main sponsor of the Israel’s National memorial marking the Red Army’s Victory over Nazi Germany
to be erected in the city of Netanya (Israel).
This is the first monument to the Red Army erected outside the former Soviet bloc. Its establishment marks
an important event in the life of Russian-speaking Israel, especially for those veterans living there, and for
Russia as a whole with respect to relations between
our two countries and peoples. It’s dedication will be
held in Summer 2012 and will involve Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
RJC President Yury Kanner and Netanya
Mayor Miriam Feirberg Ikar at the Memorial’s construction site. April 2012
Yury Kanner, David Iakobachvili,
and Mikhail Fridman at the monument’s unveiling
ceremony
Today, both Jewish and non-Jewish foundations have
already collected most of the funds needed to build
this monument. Future plans include the construction
of a memorial complex, including a Museum of Victory and Heroism of Jewish soldiers, who contributed to
this effort. The construction of the second phase of the
memorial and its continued operation will require additional funds.
Private participation in this project represents a rare
opportunity to display patriotism and respect for
veterans, and to perpetuate the achievements they
have made.
Account
information
American Friends of Russian Jewish
Congress
First Tennessee Bank Memphis,TN
SWIFT: FTBMUS44 ABA routing number: 084000026
Beneficiary: EAGLE BANK Beneficiary account: 100247994
Bank Address: 7815 Woodmont Avenue ,Bethesda, MD 20814,301-986-1800
Routing or ABA # 055003298
Address: 2020 K Street, NW, Suite 7800, Washington, D.C. 20006
Account # 200050334
Yury Kanner, Benny Briskin
and Benjamin Netanyahu
8
Cultural support
The development of one’s national culture is essentially the task of the people
to whom it belongs. There is nobody in Russia except the Jews who will take
care of Jewish cultural issues. For any Jewish organization, with the exception
of the RJC, taking care of secular Jewish culture is not part of its profile.
Pyotr Fomenko, Yevgeny Aryeh,
Israeli Ambassador to Russia Dorit
Golender
We should interpret Hillel’s quote literally: If not us, then who? Without any
exaggeration, we can say that the fate of Jewish culture in Russia depends
on us. That is, on you too because without your participation, we would not be
able to implement any major projects.
The International Festival of Jewish Culture. This is the most ambitious RJC
project in this sphere. The Festival shall feature performances by the most prestigious theaters and concert ensembles, outstanding performers, film screenings
on Jewish themes, and exhibitions of prominent artists’ works. Plans involve
this festival becoming a regularlyheld event. It will be an important event
in the cultural life of Russia and the world of Jewish culture. Sponsorship of
this event is an honorable and prestigious mission.
We also intend to continue to support existing RJC projects, as follows:
Pyotr Fomenko, Artistic Director of
the Pyotr Fomenko Workshop Theater, and Chief Director of the Gesher
Theater Yevgeny Aryeh
Jewish Men’s Choir under the direction of Alexander Tsalyuk - This is the only
classical men’s choir in all of Russia. The RJC supports both the group itself and
some of its special projects, in particular, the joint program of the Jewish Male
Choir and People’s Artist of Russia Tamara Gverdtsiteli’s “Songs in Yiddish”.
Supporting Jewish theater is an important area of the RJC’s work. Providing
support for individual theater companies on an ongoing basis (such as the
“Shalom” Moscow Jewish Theater under the artistic leadership of People’s Artist
of Russia Alexander Levenbuk), as well as tours to Russia by Israeli groups:
The Gesher Theater is one of Israel’s leading theaters, founded by a group of
emigres from Russia and currently under the leadership of Director Yevgeny
Arye. The Gesher Theater performs mainly in Hebrew with Russian subtitles.
Gesher’s tours to Moscow, the last one of which was highly successful, was made
possible thanks to the RJC’s sponsorship.
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Zubin Mehta is one
of the finest symphony orchestras in the world. The RJC is involved in financing
the only concert given by this celebrated group in Moscow, which will be held
in May 2012.
Contact
information:
46 Bolshaya Pereyaslavskaya St.,
Building 2 (third floor), Moscow,
Russia, 129110
Tel. +7 (495) 777-65-75
Fax: +7 (495) 777-65-74
E-mail: [email protected]
www.rjc.ru
Museums
9
The RJC’s Memorial Synagogue at Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow is one of the
most well-known Jewish sights in the city. The synagogue operates a unique
museum and educational complex, which tells the history of the Jews of Russia
and the tragedy of the Holocaust.
Museum of Holocaust History. Many educational programs are being implemented thanks to this museum. Every year, the RJC holds international conferences and seminars for teachers, students and schoolchildren, in addition to
lectures, excursions, commemorative meetings for the general public, and visiting educational seminars.
A visit to the museum is included in the itinerary of tours of Moscow. It should
become even more popular among children and youth, parents and teachers as
of this year, when the Holocaust becomes officially included in the country’s
RJC President Yury Kanner and
RJC Vice-President Sergey Ustinov
at the opening ceremony of Museum of the History of Jews in Russia.
May 2011
school curriculum for teaching history, which was largely made possible through
the RJC’s efforts.
The RJC is currently interested in expanding the museum’s educational activities and restructuring its exhibits - this is a sizable task. You can take part in
making this possible. Improving the exhibits will boost attendance and increase
the emotional impact on visitors, who are mostly non-Jews. An understanding
of the tragedy experienced by the Jewish people during the Holocaust will
serve to promote tolerance within society, which is important for both our
generation and our children’s. In Russia, unfortunately, the problem of xenophobia and anti-Semitism is always omnipresent.
Museum of the History of Jews in Russia. This unique museum, with exhibitions comprised of more than 5,000 original artifacts, was established in May
2011 by RJC Presidium Member Sergey Ustinov, who is also the Chairman of the
Board of Trustees of the Holocaust Museum at the Poklonnaya Hill. We are (and
also hope you will be) interested in having as many Jews and non-Jews as possible learn about and visit this museum, so that as many people as possible, both
from Russia and elsewhere, will become acquainted with the history of Russian
Jewry and realize the contribution that Jews have made to advancing cultural
life in Russia. This also requires investment.
President Boris Yeltsin at the historic ceremony for the opening of the
Memorial Synagogue at Poklonnaya
Hill. September 1998
19th century wooden Aron Kodesh
from Bessarabia - part of collection
at the Museum of the History of Jews
in Russia
10
Charitable
activities
The moral health of a society is defined in terms of its relationship with the
elderly, the sick and children. Helping the weak and those who really need support and care is one of the most important national traditions of the Jewish
people - it is also one of the key objectives of the RJC.
This activity is carried out through a system of ‘Chesed’ charity organizations.
In Russia, there are 56 Chesed organizations operating under the auspices of
the RJC, which collectively offer assistance to 100,000 people on an ongoing
basis. But the structure of Chesed needs support, including your own. It will
take a lot greater resources in order to carry out this work at a decent, modern
level, and costs continue to rise. Thank G-d, the life span of Russia’s Jewish
population of Russia is high, exceeding the national average. Due to this fact,
there are many elderly Jews today and not all of them are able to care for themselves physically or provide for themselves financially.
In today’s Russia there are no hungry Jews, but the overall level of consumption
has grown, social standards have changed, prices are constantly rising - and it
is becoming more and more expensive every year to ensure a decent standard of
living for the elderly, chronically ill, disabled, and children from disadvantaged
families. We would be ashamed to look away from the eyes of people who
need our help – people who we are unable to help due to a basic lack of
resources.
It is inevitable that the costs of operating Chesed organizations continue to
rise - so here we are counting on your support. We are talking about our general
elderly, our physically challenged (disabled) and our children. Often they have
nobody other than us that they can turn to for help. Tzedaka is the most im
portant Jewish tradition, and is no less important than observing kashrut, abstaining from leavened bread during Passover, and having fun on Purim. While
many of us do not follow all of these traditions, one thing is certain: we cannot
simply ignore a neighbor in need.
At the upcoming meeting of RJC Officers, participants will discuss how elderly
people may be best assisted - by building senior citizens’ homes or developing
a home caregiver system. While the latter seems to be the most rational approach, either of these solutions would require additional expenditures.
The RJC also provides aid to Jewish children from disadvantaged families. The
children’s home (orphanage) Anita Center-Big Family orphanage operates in
Moscow (in 2011, the RJC allocated $385,500 for this project).
In 2011, the RJC allocated a total of US $385,500
for the project
Educational
projects
Contact
information:
46 Bolshaya Pereyaslavskaya St.,
Building 2 (third floor), Moscow,
Russia, 129110
Tel. +7 (495) 777-65-75
Fax: +7 (495) 777-65-74
RJC’s concept of education fundamentally differs from the one espoused by
most other Jewish organizations.
We believe that the vast majority of the Jewish population in Russia is still far
removed from religion. Thus, we do not believe that Jewish education should
be primarily religious education. Even the study of Judaism, in our opinion,
can generally be approached from a secular perspective. We also do not feel
that Jewish education should be limited to the study of Jewish tradition. Our
approach entails the concept that education is a key nation-wide challenge.
The objective is not only to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and pro
vide a proper Jewish “education” to a segment of society, but also involves
the formation of an intellectual core, to attract all of the community, like
role models, as a magnet and as a behavioral model.
E-mail: [email protected]
www.rjc.ru
In 2011, the budget for
education projects amounted
to US $ 1,123,300
In fact, it also represents a return to Jewish ancestral national traditions: it
is common to have smart people among Jews. For this purpose, a crosscutting
Jewish education system has been established with RJC support, extending
from kindergartens to universities. But our major investments in education are
not in establishing extra-curricular groups to study Jewish traditions, but in
the study of Jewish subjects at the country’s leading universities and academic
research at authoritative scientific institutions.
The RJC finances the study of Jewish studies, Hebrew, Jewish history and
philosophy at Moscow State University, Russian State Humanitarian University (Moscow), St. Petersburg State University, the Maimonides State Academy
(Moscow), and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
11
If we do not do this ourselves, nobody will do it for us. In becoming connected to the solution to this challenge, together we will certainly have a greater
chance of success. All of this costs a considerable amount of money, but it’s
definitely worth the investment. We need to increase the level of investment
in this area, and are counting on your support to achieve our common national
objectives.
12
Informational activities
There is significant public interest in the RJC’s work and
the organization’s website is visited by about 500 people
per day.
The RJC’s activities constantly pay attention to leading
Russian and foreign media. Reports on the RJC’s most
important initiatives and actions are broadcast on such
major news agencies as RIA Novosti, Interfax and ItarTASS, the newspapers Kommersant, Vedomosti, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Novaya Gazeta, Novye Izvestia, Vechernyaya
Moskva and Komsomolskaya Pravda, the TV channels TVC,
Dozhd, Russia Today, Zvezda and Stolitsa, the radio stations Echo Moskvy, Russian Service News, Vesti FM, City
FM, as well as dozens of other print and electronic media
sources.
Recently, RJC activities have also received coverage by
famous foreign media: the American edition of the New
York Times, TV BBC World, the TV sites CNN and EuroNews,
and leading Israeli media.
Being a participant in RJC projects means being in
the center of public attention.
Contact
information:
46 Bolshaya Pereyaslavskaya St.,
Building 2 (third floor), Moscow,
Russia, 129110
Tel. +7 (495) 777-65-75
Fax: +7 (495) 777-65-74
E-mail: [email protected]
www.rjc.ru
13
Fighting anti-Semitism and
xenophobia
The RJC’s plans include implementing a project with the
working title «Legal Affairs Office». This office would
closely monitor the mass media, public statements by
politicians, public figures, and activists, to gather information on any instances of anti-Semitism and xenophobia.
With the support of experts from RJC, these materials
should be summarized and analyzed, so that every instance of such negativity receives adequate public attention and a fitting rebuttal - in the media and within
government agencies, law enforcement bodies, international organizations. We aim to ensure that any manifestation of ethnic intolerance towards Jews ultimately
becomes dangerous for such offenders in that they are
effectively threatened with public scorn, legal condemnation and ostracism.
This project may be implemented, subject to sufficient
funding.
Chief Rabbi of Moscow Pinchas
Goldschmidt, President of RJC Yury
Kanner and U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul
Russian Jewish Congress
Governing Structure
President
Yury I. Kanner
Bureau of the Presidium
Len Blavatnik
Mikhail Fridman
David Iakobachvili
Yury I. Kanner
German Khan
Leonid B. Melamed
Mikhail M. Mirilashvili
Shlomo Neeman
Andrey N. Rappoport
Mark Shabad
Gregory Shtulberg
Yury Zelvensky
VicePresidents
Aleksandr Chudnovskiy
Mikhail Simonov
Rabbi Yakov Tipograf
Sergey Ustinov
Aleksandr Verhovsky
German Zaharyaev
Board of Directors
Alexander Merman
Boris I. Mints
Executive Director
Benny Briskin
Presidium of the RJC Foundation
Alex Blavatnik
Len Blavatnik
Mikhail Fridman
German Khan
David Iakobachvili
Yury I. Kanner
Boris Kiperman
Eugenia Lvova
Leonid B. Melamed
Boris I. Mints
Mikhail M. Mirilashvili
Shlomo Neeman
Rabbi Yakov Tipograf
Elena Rachkova
Andrey N. Rappoport
Mark Shabad
Gregory Shtulberg
Mikhail Simonov
Sergey Ustinov
Yury Zelvensky
Anna Zhuravel
German Zaharyaev
Yury Zelvensky
Past Presidents
Vladimir Goussinsky
Leonid B. Nevzlin
Evgeny Satanovsky
Vladimir Sloutsker
Vyacheslav Kantor
1996 - 2001
2001
2001 - 2005
2004 - 2005
2005 - 2009
Public Council
Eugenia Albats
Aleksandr Asmolov
Mikhail Berger
Natalia Bestemyanova
Yakov Brand
Mikhail A.Chlenov
Vladimir Dvinskiy
Zlata Elbaum
Greta Elinson
Igor Elkis
Dmitry Elyashevich
Matvey Ganapolskiy
Aleksandr Gelman
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt
Tankred Golenpolskiy
Evgeniy Gontmakher
Yuly S. Gusman
Rabbi Dovid Karpov
Gennadi Khazanov
Rabbi Zinovi Kogan
Arkady Kovelman
Rabbi Berel Lazar
Aleksandr Levenbuk
Aleksandr Militarev
Aleksandr Minkin
Victoria Mochalova
Sergey Parkhomenko
Mark Rakita
Henri Reznik
Mark Rozovski
Rabbi Adolf Shaevich
Vladimir Shapiro
Pyotr Shelisch
Vladimir Solovyev
Vladimir Vishnevskiy
Mikhail Zhvanetsky