Encouraging Jewish Study and Involvement for Unaffiliated Jews

In the course of the past seven years, AVI CHAI has initiated a number of innovative projects geared to appeal to a wide, diverse, but largely unaffiliated Russian-speaking Jewish audience in the FSU. Recognizing that this audience represents the overwhelming majority of post-Soviet Jewry – only a tiny percentage of Jews in the FSU today participate in any form of organized Jewish activity – AVI CHAI has approved funding for a variety of programs to engage this elusive audience and to then try and foster a strong connection to Jewish life, study, and ideas.

In addressing this challenge, AVI CHAI has focused on a two-pronged approach: first, to initiate programs that can engage large number of participants, those with the breadth to reach hundreds, often thousands. Second, to support programs able to provide depth, enabling individuals, on their own or in small groups, to explore the richness and beauty of Jewish heritage.