Genesis Philanthropy Group makes an additional $2 million grant to the Jewish Agency for Israel

Moscow, Tel-Aviv. June 9, 2009. The Genesis Philanthropy Group (GPG), a foundation dedicated to strengthening Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews, has announced a $2 million additional grant to the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) to support  the Nativ project, focused on enhancing Jewish identity of immigrant soldiers serving in the IDF. Majority of Nativ participants are from the former Soviet Union. This grant for 2009-2010 follows a previous grant of $1.6 million for the same activity in 2008.

This two-year grant will support Nativ, a comprehensive educational program for immigrant soldiers, which reinforces their sense of connection to Israel and to their Jewish cultural heritage. The program will enable 4,500 new immigrant soldiers, mostly from the former Soviet Union, who have been living in Israel for 10 years or less, to learn Judaism, Zionism, Jewish history, culture and thought. As part of the program, participants of Nativ who are not halachially Jewish and are interested in undergoing conversion to Judaism are offered professional guidance, support and assistance during the conversion process.

"Nativ was one of the first major projects funded by GPG when our foundation was established and began making its first grants in 2007-2008,” said Stan Polovets, CEO and one of the five founders of GPG.  "To date, it has been one of our most successful grants, not only in quantitative terms, but more importantly in terms of the impact we have been able to achieve. We are very pleased with the results of this grant and are grateful for the opportunity to expand our support for this key initiative, which fosters Jewish identity and improves integration of Russian-speaking Jews into the Israeli society."

At a time when many foundations are reducing their support for Jewish education programs, GPG's grant expresses its commitment to the Russian speaking Jews and the significance Genesis attributes to connecting young immigrant soldiers to their Jewish roots and traditions. 

General Elazar Stern, the Chairman of the GPG Advisory Board since November 2008, created the Nativ program when he served as the Head of the Human Resources Branch of the Israeli Defense Forces. “Nativ is one of the most successful projects for building Jewish identity worldwide;  a unique project that provides IDF soldiers with an opportunity for a less stressful and more friendly giur [conversion]”, said Elazar Stern. “These soldiers are demonstrating their commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel in a noble and privileged way, and are willing to risk their lives for its security and future. It is therefore the obligation of the State and the Army to provide them with an option to strengthen their Jewish identity and to build their families as part of the Jewish people. Genesis Philanthropy Group is pleased to be in a partnership with the State of Israel, the IDF and JAFI in this essential initiative.”

  “GPG is committed to ensuring that Jewish culture, heritage and values are preserved among Russian-speaking Jews worldwide,” said Sana Britavskiy, Director of GPG grant programs in Israel.  “GPG’s grant-making strategy is to find institutions that share these values and invest in their capacity to have maximum impact on our target population”

About Nativ

Over 8,000 soldiers have participated in Nativ since it was launched in 2001. To date, more than 3,200 graduates who were not registered in Israel as Jewish according to Jewish religious law, have continued their studies and completed the conversion process.

About Genesis Philanthropy Group

The mission of Genesis Philanthropy Group is to develop and enhance Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews worldwide, with a particular emphasis on the former Soviet Union, North America, and Israel. GPG is committed to supporting and launching projects, programming, and institutions that are focused on ensuring that Jewish culture, heritage, and values are preserved in Russian-speaking Jewish communities across the globe. The foundation was established in the summer of 2007 by Mikhail Fridman, German Khan, Pyotr Aven, Alex Knaster, and Stan Polovets.

In the past two years, GPG has made over 30 grants, which included gifts to organizations such as Birthright Israel, Yad Vashem, Moscow State University, Limmud, Maccabi, and the New York Jewish Museum. Its most recent grants, announced in March ‘09, include $4.4 million to The Foundation for Jewish Camp and $10.9 million to Brandeis University. www.gpg.org

About the Jewish Agency

For 80 years, the Jewish Agency for Israel has been working with partners around the world to facilitate the return of more than 3 million Jews to the Jewish homeland, including more than 1 million Jews from the FSU; to connect thousands of youngsters with their Jewish heritage; and to strengthen Israel's disadvantaged communities. www.jewishagency.org

Contact

Julia Belova

GPG Director Communications

Tel/Fax +7 985 967 0117 (18)

Mobile +7 985 237 2004

e-mail: Julia@gpg.org

www.gpg.org