TORONTO — Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada (JIAS) has received a $150,000 grant from the Moscow-based Genesis Philanthropy Group to launch a pilot project in Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver aimed at helping Russian Jews become active in their local Jewish communities.
Genesis’ mission is to develop and enhance Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews worldwide.
The project, JIAS Opportunity for Leadership Training (JOLT: Leadership Bridging Cultures), the only Canadian project funded by Genesis, started up in January and includes eight monthly training sessions and an internship in a Jewish agency.
Topics include connecting participants with their local Jewish communities, educating local communities about the Russian Jewish experience, deepening Russian Jews’ own sense of Jewish identity, and fostering relationships among emerging Russian Jewish leaders and the established Jewish community.
Mila Voihanski, JIAS’ executive director, said the agency began planning the project about two years ago out of a concern that Russian Jews were not engaging in the community.
“We had heard from both sides. The Jewish community said that Russian Jews were not active, and the Russian Jews said that they were never accepted. The time had come to begin a dialogue that addressed both concerns. We cannot ignore the fact that about 25 per cent of our population is made up of immigrants.”
She created a program committee, she said, that included executive directors and board members from Jewish agencies in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Ottawa.
“I put a proposal together about enhancing volunteerism in the immigrant community, and I was put in touch with Genesis. Agencies in Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver were able to identify local donors, and they felt they had the capacity to take on the project.”
Voihanski said JIAS hired Ronda Stoller Wunsch as national project co-ordinator, and found three local co-ordinators who recruit people for the program. There are now about 40 participants.
Wunsch said that agency leaders will speak at the sessions so participants will get some idea of where they’d like to intern. “In Calgary, one participant connected with the Jewish Historical Society and has begun writing stories about her immigrant experience.”
The agency has received good feedback after the initial sessions, she said. “Both sides are learning about each other, and the immigrants feel welcomed.”
Voihanski said her plan is to expand the project nationally, and eventually to other countries. “We’re very excited about the way the project has taken off, and we know that the issues are the same everywhere.”
