In April, Team Schusterman had the chance to visit several Hillels in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev. We asked young leaders in each community to write about how Jewish life has changed for them. Read an introduction to this series by Schusterman President Sandy Cardin.

Ten years ago I was a university student in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Studying international relations was good, but as a local Hillel activist at the time, my most memorable education came from my involvement in Jewish life. Working at Jewish camps, going on Birthright, learning about Judaism at Hillel seminars and then sharing it with my peers and the larger community made for a very busy but also incredibly rewarding time. Still to this day, the connections I made all over the FSU form the core of my social and professional networks.

A decade later, I now live in Washington, DC, working as the Assistant Director of International Operations at Hillel International, where much of my time is focused on Jewish life in the FSU. Last month I had a déjà vu experience when I spent a week in Russia with Lynn Schusterman, meeting with students who had that familiar spark in their eyes as they talked about how a Birthright trip, leadership training program at Hillel or a homemade Shabbat dinner at Moishe House helped them connect to their own Jewish identity.  Read More »