Five Russian billionaires have contributed $20 million to try to overcome lack of Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews in the United States, according to the New York Jewish Week. The billionaires have formed the Genesis Philanthropy Group, which has awarded a large grant to Brandeis University, considered a bastion of many Jewish students who are pro-Arab and detached form Jewish traditions.
The funding is particularly welcome because of the current financial crisis in the United States, where Jewish day schools and non-profit organizations are facing severe budget cuts. “There’s an entirely new generation of Russian speakers who weren’t necessarily born in the former Soviet Union or came from there when they were very young.... We have not…understood them well,” said Len Saxe, a Brandeis director of social research.