History of the Russian Jewish Congress
By the middle of 1990th years in Russia there were hundreds of Jewish organizations - synagogues, schools, cultural associations, the academic educational institutions, charitable societies. Non-profit charitable fund “Russian Jewish Congress” was established in 1996 by the initiative group of the Jewish businessmen, active workers and religious figures for revival of the Jewish life in Russia. According to the stated purposes and problems the RJC formed a structure that unites various groups and associations on the territory of the country. All together they constitute the Jewish community of Russia. Each of these groups found its place in the structure of the Congress. It became possible for the first time in the history of Russian Jews to unite sponsors and the needee people, intellectual and spiritual leaders, managers, professionals and volunteers. They got an opportunity to work fruitfully in all cities of the huge country with Jewish communities. Using opportunities of 40 regional representations, the RJC actively continues to participate in construction of communal institutes at a local and national level. Charitable imperative In the course of its work the RJC has collected and spent (especially in Russia) tens millions of dollars for various charitable programs to help the poor and elderly people, to revive the religious and communal life in all its variety, to support the educational structures, mainly, higher educational institutions. Moreover, from the very beginning charitable programs of the RJC expanded far beyond strictly national limits. Public relations The Congress represents the Russian Jews’ interests in the state, regional and public institutes. The RJC traces the anti-Semitic incidents, ethnic and religious intolerance and influences the friendly relations between Jewish and other national and religious associations of Russia. The Russian Jewish Congress actively participates in interethnic and interconfessional dialogue that is aimed at strengthening of the Russian society and expanding of the world connections. The RJC leaders were among the most active participants of the effective interaction process of traditional religions of Russia, cooperating with the Russian Orthodox Church, Muslim and Buddhist leaders. At last, the RJC represents interests of the Russian Jews at the international level, participating in the European, Euro - Asian and World Jewish Congresses. It is the partner of the American Jewish Distributive Committee “JOINT”, Jewish agency “Sohnut” and the German Claims Conference. The project of the “The Jewish News "edition was initiated by the RJC in July, 2002, and it became the first Russian-speaking project in the MASS-MEDIA aimed at the young generation of cultural, academic, political and business elite (including non Jewish people). Basic achievements  According to the results of the year 2002, all the sum of money raised and distributed among the needee people by the Russian Jewish Congress in the course of 7 years, has exceeded 63 million dollars. The Congress distributes welfare funds in the amount of 60 million dollars. It indicates that the Russian Jewish Community on behalf of the RJC highly ranks among the leading organizations - donors of the Jewish world.
Free-of-charge dining rooms, medical and patronage centers were open for thousands of lonely, ill and wretched elderly people. For the first time for many years children from the Jewish families could go the Jewish kindergartens and schools. Hundreds of young non Jewish and Jewish boys and girls were enrolled to the universities of Moscow and St. Petersburg where there are the best professors. The RJC can be proud as it supports the Jewish organizations - veterans and prisoners of ghetto and concentration camps, let alone the “righteous persons of the world”, who saved Jews during the war. The building of a memorial synagogue and a complex of the Museum of the Holocaust on the Poklonnaya Gora is a turning point in the history of post - totalitarian Russia. The Russian Jewish Congress makes an effort trying to struggle against today's fascism, introducing programs on tolerance at the Russian schools. The RJC greatly contributed to the revival of the Jewish tradition in all its variety: Synagogues, communities and associations of Chassids, conformists and reformists. The Congress constructed the communal centers in Kazan, Chelyabinsk, Yaroslavl and other cities. We should not forget that the RJC has played a very important role in financing of the communal center of FJCR in Maryina Rosha and in a great reconstruction of the historical center of the Jewish Moscow. The dome was constructed above the synagogue in Spasoglinishchevsky Per, and the building of the main communal center of the country in the neighborhood was started. We supported the Jewish printed and electronic mass media and it allowed to keep a uniform information field in our enormous country. A great attention is traditionally paid to the academic and art editions within the framework of target series.
The RJC wants to commemorate the submarine “Kursk” crew and to create the program of opposition to terrorism, the largest event was the concert - demonstration in April “We are against terror”. In 2002 it gathered more than 10 thousand persons at the Moscow Choral synagogue. The Congress takes pride of the sports programs, besides the Maccabi sportsmen won the champion titles of the World, Russia, Europe, and two Olympic gold medals in Sydney.
The RJC assisted to more than 100 families (the majority of which are non Jewish) who suffered from flooding in Cabardino-Balkariya and Stavropol territory in 2002. All this became possible due to effective financial support of the Russian sponsors, working under aegis of the RJC welfare fund. The RJC is looking forward for the brilliant future  In December, 2001, Eugeny Yanovich Satanovsky, the veteran of the Jewish national movement in Russia, was elected to be the president of the Russian Jewish Congress. He is known as the great scientist, practicing the East studies, and the businessman. With the new management ahead, the Russian Jewish Congress is going to keep the basic priorities of the charity activities to revive the Jewish life: to support socially unprotected layers of the Jewish community and to help the young people, members of the future Jewish community of Russia to get a degree. This will allow them to take a worthy place in XXI century.
In 2002 the Russian Jewish Congress accepted “Strategy of development of the Jewish community of Russia”. This will allow them to start planning the construction of the Jewish community of the country following the basic directions for 2002-2007 years.
In the course of nearest years it is necessary to raise money sufficient to set some of the largest capital projects and create anti-crisis reserve for the community. The “Strategy” has drawn the line under the stage of social experiments for the 90th. of the XX century has opened the stage of professionalism and the capital long-term projects.
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