Grants in Israel

Overview

In Israel, Russian-speaking Jews constitute nearly one-fifth of the country's Jewish population. For these 1.2 million olim, new immigrants, the question of Jewish identity is laden with complications. Having acted on their Jewishness by moving to the Jewish state, they find their very identity challenged by the twin forces of the secular-religious divide and the political and religious implications of the "who is a Jew?" debate, leaving numerous Russian Jews even further on the margins.

The key challenge for Genesis Philanthropy Group in Israel is to create a diverse and extensive portfolio of projects that allows Russian-speaking Jews to connect to their Jewish identity, while also helping them integrate into the Israeli society, but retaining the links to their Russian-Jewish heritage. As many FSU-born olim become more successful economically and begin to acquire a new identity, Genesis aims to work with them to ensure they see themselves not only as Israelis but also as Jews.

Current Grants

Past Grants