by Genia Kovelman who used an ROI Micro Grant to attend Limmud FSU in Princeton, NJ, a weekend full of Jewish learning and culture.

Over 600 young Russian-American Jews from across the United States came together at
Princeton University, May 11-13, for the first ever three-day Limmud FSU (former Soviet
Union) Conference in America. Russian-speaking Jews, originally from the former Soviet Union, came to hear about Judaism, to learn about Israel, to meet their brothers and sisters -- all in a pluralistic spirit, without coercion and without pressure. The lecture topics were determined by the young people themselves, and the theme this year was Albert Einstein, the father of modern physics who lived, taught and died in Princeton.

Even though I have been working as a Jewish professional for over 9 years now, it was my first Limmud Conference I had the chance to attend. It was truly a festival of Jewish learning, featuring lectures, workshops, roundtable discussions, music and an array of cultural events presented in Russian, English and Hebrew. During the 70 years of the totalitarian Soviet regime, practicing any religion or keeping any traditions or culture was forbidden under the penalty of prison. For the majority of us, the only reminders of identity were the fifth column in our passport, a note in the birth certificate and the constant discrimination. Even though many of our grandparents spoke Yiddish and knew delicious Jewish recipes, we didn't grow up knowing much about Judaism. . . Some 750,000 to 1 million Russian-American Jews are living in the U.S., with approximately half in New York and New Jersey. For us Russian-speaking Jews, our Jewishness is a very complicated part of our identity. We have a tribal connection to our heritage rather than religious. It was very inspiring for me to see so many young people at the Limmud FSU striving to learn and build a community. During my 4 years working with the Jewish Federation in Chicago, I noticed that once you light that spark in their hearts and open the door into the yet unknown, but exciting Jewish world , you see a change.

My main goal at the conference was to network with my colleagues from all over the US, to
learn from their experiences and discuss the ways to strengthen our Russian-speaking Jewish community. I am currently creating a new initiative that will enable us to expanding the outreach to Russian-speaking young professionals and young families here in Chicago and will provide an opportunity for many to find their Jewish path and values and integrate into the greater Jewish community.

I am very thankful to ROI Community for this grant and an opportunity to attend Limmud FSU where not only I, once again, was enriched and empowered Jewishly, but also had a chance for a professional networking and growth.