Margalit C. Rosenthal is Senior Director, Birthright Israel and Immersive Experiences at The Jewish Federation. Margalit recently traveled to Russia with The Jewish Federation and JDC Entwine on the Inside Jewish St. Petersburg trip. Read about her experiences below!
I am embarrassed to admit the following list of things that summed up my knowledge of Jewish life in Russia and Russia in general before staffing the joint Federation/JDC Entwine Inside Jewish St. Petersburg trip this summer: Fiddler on the Roof. The Pale of Settlement. Matryoshka dolls. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but you understand.
And, in just a few words, here is what I learned: Vibrant Jewish community.
For the very first time, Jewish Federation Los Angeles partnered with Entwine, the young professional arm of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), to work with their existing “Insider” trips and bring an exclusive cohort of Los Angeles young professionals to Russia to see the impact and work of our 100+ year partnership assisting Jews worldwide.
With the large population of Russian-speaking Jews in Los Angeles, the Federation’s work with this population, and the similarities between our two Jewish communities despite the geographic distance from Los Angeles to Russia, we knew this trip would prove to be an incredible learning experience. It would also prove to be an exciting opportunity to highlight our partnership and work in Russia to young Jews from L.A.
It is not uncommon for Jews to feel a connection to Jews from other places, but in St. Petersburg, this was even more obvious, and we could really dive deep into the “how” and “why.” Conversations with our Russian counterparts shed light on the nationalist and ethnic facets of being Jewish, how that played into the history of Jewish life in Russia, and what it looks like today. The Jewish community in Russia has no boundaries or official rules for who is “in” and who is “out.” If someone self-identifies as Jewish, regardless of their practice or lifestyle, they step up and say they are Jewish. They accept their place in the community. If they want to “do” Jewish, they simply go do it — whether that means attending the Grand Choral Synagogue (run by Chabad) or the Reform synagogue, or choosing from a variety of non-synagogue organizations, like Moishe House , Hillel, or Jewish summer camp. Similar to what we strive for locally, the Russian Jewish community is very open and welcoming to those who identify as Jewish and want to engage with the Jewish community.
It was illuminating to learn about how similar our programming is. There is a high value placed on Jewish preschool and summer camp; they have their Tikvateinu program that serves adults with special needs and gives them opportunities for work; Moishe House, Hillel, and Birthright Israel all have a strong presence in St. Petersburg with college students and young adults; there is even a young adult leadership program called Lehava, similar in idea and goals to our own Community Leadership Institute (CLI) here in Los Angeles. One obvious difference? For some programs (including Birthright Israel), participants have to prove they are Jewish in some way, through old documents such as identification cards that list Jewish as their nationality, or their parents’ or grandparents’ ketubot (Jewish marriage contracts). My colleagues at Hillel St. Petersburg were surprised that here in the U.S., you fill out an application and the honor system applies. After all, as American Jews, we are fortunate that our Judaism or Jewishness has never been something we needed to list on legal documents.
My colleagues in the U.S. can attest that, as professionals working in the Jewish community with young adults, we know that the generations who came before us are concerned with the Jewish future, as well as our younger generations’ commitment to the community, investment and passion for the impactful work of the Federation and our partners. This experience was just one of many that demonstrate that young Jews care deeply about being Jewish and are opting in (and investing) in experiences with like-minded Jews.
The people with whom I traveled on Inside Jewish St. Petersburg are extraordinary young Jews who represent our diverse American Jewish community of today: Persian, Russian, Israeli, even Serbian; some involved in synagogue life and others not involved in religious life; L.A. transplants and natives; Jewish parents and non-Jewish parents. And, with such a diverse group, ultimately what unites us? What makes us similar to each other and to our peers around the world? Our pride in our Jewishness, our self-definition, our desire to care for each other and strangers, and our commitment to the idea that we need — we deserve — a Jewish community for our future.
For more information on short- and long-term immersive opportunities and scholarships, please e-mail Margalit at MRosenthal@JewishLA.org.
