Global Limmud FSU Leadership Delegation in the United States - Full Story
12/05/2008
Global Limmud FSU Leadership Delegation in the United States
A New York Diary – May 1-6, 2008
Global Limmud FSU leaders from Belarus, Israel, Russia, and Ukraine, attended the 102nd American Jewish Committee (AJC) Annual Meeting and 15th International AJC Leadership Conference – Access: A Global Summit of the New Generations, celebrating Israel at 60, in Washington, D.C., May 1-3, 2008. As guests of the American Jewish Committee, the delegation joined leaders from 55 countries and participated in many sessions at the AJC's Annual Meeting. The delegation was deeply impressed with the scope and breadth of global Jewish organizations and their abiding interest in renewing Jewish life among Russian-speaking Jews in the former Soviet states.
Following AJC Summit in Washington, D.C., the Limmud FSU group met with significant Jewish leadership in New York for in-depth briefings about American Jewish life and its relevance to their concerns in developing local Jewish community organizations in their own countries. Broadening their horizons, these young Russian-speaking activists and volunteers talked with major Jewish leaders and philanthropists to understand critical Jewish issues from a global perspective. At one significant meeting, Nobel Laureate, Elie Wiesel, urged the young people to raise their voices. He said, "You cannot be the silent Jews."
Sunday Night in New York
Fresh from the Nation's capital, the delegation begin their New York sojourn at a reception with Matthew Bronfman, Limmud FSU's Honorary Chairman, and his young son, Coby, at Bronfman's Israel Discount Bank in midtown. Talking with passion and deep interest in the work of Limmud FSU and sharing his family's legacy and commitment to the global Jewish community, Bronfman conveyed his eagerness to assist Limmud FSU both in the former Soviet Union and Israel. And not to be overlooked, Bronfman discussed his serious involvement with the 92nd St Y, and it's outreach to the local Russian-speaking community.
Moving downtown to a 92nd St.Y's new site in Tribeca, the delegation joined the Y's Executive Committee of RJeneration, a local group of Russian-speaking young professionals for dinner, where they exchanged ideas and promoted the idea of convening a Limmud FSU Conference in New York in 2009. A party followed the intimate dinner with roughly 100 RJeneration members – live music, dancing, and good vibes in Russian contributed to a very successful evening.
Monday – A Day of High Level Meeting
Beginning the day, the delegation gathered at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), a committed and generous funder of Limmud FSU activities. The morning began with an informal conversation with Steven Schwager, Executive Vice President & CEO. For a different view of Jewish communal leadership, Feliks Frenkel, a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, and volunteer leader from Kiev, shared his view of Jewish life from several perspectives in Russian. He graciously answered questions about his business and volunteer experiences and community involvement. Closing the session at JDC, another very knowledgeable funder, Gideon Taylor, spoke with the group from the perspective of his professional position, Executive Vice President, Conference of Jewish Material Claims against Germany. His remarks focused on the difficulties inherent in the ethical and just distribution of funds to Holocaust survivors.
Continuing this serious dialogue, the delegation was honored to meet with Nobel Laureate and scholar Elie Wiesel at his Foundation for Humanity, which seeks to combat indifference, intolerance, and injustice. Gracious and thoughtful, Dr. Wiesel seemed delighted to talk with the delegation's young Russian-speaking leaders and admonished them to find their own voice and speak out for social justice, stressing the critical importance their place in the global Jewish community. Dr. Wiesel taped a message for the opening Limmud FSU Conference in Yalta in October, and also spoke in Hebrew with a special message for Russian-speaking Israelis who attend the Limmud FSU Conference in Ashkelon in September.
Substantial international media coverage about Limmud FSU and its activities continues to showcase the importance and success of its mission and goals. To give the Limmud FSU delegation some insight into how the media think and form opinions, Walter Ruby, a New York journalist who has written extensively about the Russian-Jewish community, moderated a panel of prominent journalists, who represented the Russian-speaking and Anglo-Jewish press.
Hosted by the American Jewish Committee's Director of International Affairs, Rabbi Andrew Baker, and joined by Stanley Chais, a major Limmud FSU funder, the media panelists discussed various ways of covering the Russian-speaking American Jewish community as well as examining how Russian-speaking Jews think of themselves, as Jews, as Americans, and as Russians. Although the New York Russian and Angelo-Jewish media cover issues of local interest predominantly, the panelists agreed that there was a growing interest the activities and events among Russian-speaking Jews around the globe, particularly in Israel and the former Soviet states.
Completing intellectual program for the day, Steven Bayme, AJC's Director of Contemporary Jewish Life, presented a critical assessment of the Jewish community, its major challenges and aspirations. Dr. Bayme talked about how to hold the Jewish community together at a time of declining birthrates, increasing mixed marriages, and a growing Orthodoxy. Dr. Bayme was very articulate about the American Jewish communal sense of mission: care and concern for Israel, social justice in terms of safeguarding the rights of minorities, and fighting terrorism and common enemies. As several in the Limmud FSU delegation observed, these concerns are not too different from those in their own Jewish communities.
Bringing the day to a close, AJC held a reception for the group and invited its young Russian-speaking Leadership Division and those from UJA-Federation of New York to join them. Yuri Liberzon, a young Russian-Israeli guitarist and American-Israel Cultural Foundation artist, provided musical entertainment.
Tuesday – Examining Broad Concerns
The final day in New York began with a breakfast briefing at the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) by Maxyne Finkelstein, JAFI CEO for North America. Chaim Chesler, Limmud FSU founder, introduced the delegation to Finkelstein and thanked JAFI for its generous and abiding support of Limmud FSU, beginning with its huge support of the first Limmud FSU conferences and continuing with this year's substantial programming. Finkelstein, in her remarks, discussed the agency's considerable emphasis on Jewish education and renewal through JAFI's extensive camping programs in the FSU. She also mentioned JAFI's support of the Belarus Jewish community and the up-coming "Chagall" Limmud FSU in Minsk, November 2-December 2, 2008.
A visit to major Jewish organizations in New York would be incomplete without a conversation with UJA-Federation of New York leadership, beginning with John Ruskay, Executive Vice President & CEO and member of Limmud FSU's International Steering Committee. Joining Dr. Ruskay in welcoming the group, Jerry Levin, chair of the UJA-Federation Board of Directors, Gene Rachmansky, Chair, Young Russian Division, Lily Wajnberg, Director of the Russian Division, and Dorothy Tannenbaum, Chair, Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal, which funded the 2007 Limmud FSU Conference in Moscow. Sandra Cahn, Limmud FSU's co-founder, framed the conversation and thanked UJA-Federation for its support and long-standing interest in assisting the Jews of the former Soviet countries rebuild their communities. As the largest local philanthropy in the world, UJA-Federation provides millions of dollars each year through United Jewish Communities to both JAFI and JDC, major supporters of Limmud FSU.
World Jewish Congress (WJC) hosted the closing meetings of the Limmud FSU delegation, holding discussion with Rabbi Marc Schneier, chair, WJC American Section, and Rabbi Michael Miller, Executive Vice President, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Diane Wohl, a major Limmud FSU funder and member of Hillel's Board of Governors joined the group for these meetings. Ms Wohl introduced Rabbi Schneier and thanked him for his support and sincere interest in helping the Limmud FSU delegates build stronger inter-group relationships within their own communities. Rabbi Schneier spoke about his work and the work of his Foundation for Ethical Understanding, which focuses improving interfaith and interethnic dialogue and strengthening relationships among diverse communities. Rabbi Schneier strongly encouraged leaders to build bridges with other local ethnic and religious groups to create communities of understanding and peace. Challenged with life in a New York City, a polyglot of ethnicities and religious interests, Rabbi Miller also discussed his role as a Jewish bridge-builder among diverse population groups with various interests.
Hearing from the best of American Jewry, the delegation summed up their experience in Washington D.C. and New York City with a stunning comment: "We are not alone!" Everyone who heard the broad spectrum of views and opinions about the Jewish world today had a lot to say about being re-energized and anxious to take Limmud FSU and all its activities to the next level in their local communities. And, without exaggeration, New York's Jewish leaders learned much about Limmud FSU and why they must continue to encourage and support this thriving organization, which represents the third largest Jewish community in the world and a significant part of our collective Jewish future.