A new program will allow 13 young Jewish entrepreneurs to develop new ventures
serving the Jewish community in Russia.
The American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee and PresenTense last week announced the launch of the
Kaet Fellows, a five-month incubator where individuals will have the opportunity
to work on projects giving back to the community.
“One of the
cornerstones of our work in the former Soviet Union over the last 20 years has
been to build the next generation of Jewish leadership and we’re very proud that
together with PresenTense our first class of fellows will bring a new level of
innovation and creativity to a Jewish community yearning for new ways to connect
and grow,” JDC CEO Steven Schwager said.
Recipients of the fellowship
include Yohanan Kosenko, a 27-year-old rabbi who has created a database of a
Jewish cemetery in Moscow. He hopes to use the data to tell the story of
deceased community members to younger generations in Russia.
Another
fellow is Arkady Baranovsky, a 34- year-old author who wants to help
rehabilitate Jewish inmates by opening a theater group they can
join.
Ariel Beery, co-founder of PresenTense, a social innovation
organization partnering with JDC on the project, said he was excited and honored
to take part in the Kaet Fellowship. Beery said he hoped the fellows will
go on to found more social groups catering to the needs of the Jewish community
of Moscow.
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