The pace of assimilation of Russian-speaking Jewry in Diaspora countries leaves a sense of irreversible loss. Often they remember their Jewish roots only for utilitarian purposes, spiritually relating themselves to other nations. Perhaps the issue of “finding” and developing a Jewish identity is more acute for the Russian-speaking part of the Diaspora than for any Jewish community in the world. These Jews have been robbed of their culture, language, traditions and ties, the restoration of which has proven to be a truly impossible task for many. It seems most effective to develop a Jewish identity among young people, who more than anyone else are searching for their self-definition. Israel’s Am HaZikaron Institute suggests approaching this task by exploring family history and reconnecting teens with their Jewish roots. By telling teens about the centuries-old history of their Jewish ancestry, the institute develops in them pride in their Jewish identity.
The Am HaZikaron Institute was founded in 1998 to scientifically study the intergenerational connections between Jews of different eras. It reconstructs Jewish family trees with a known history of up to 900 years. The information obtained about thousands of members of the same family tree is processed statistically. The study shows that representatives of one Jewish family retain their unique characteristics, which are inherent only to them, for centuries. They concentrate in 4-5 spheres of activity. Some clans migrate easily, others stay in one place as long as possible. Some are characterized by divorce, others by one stable marriage for life, and much, much more. Thus, it becomes possible to talk about the mission that the clan and its representatives fulfill in the Jewish people. Am HaZikaron’s research is supported by a specially created committee of 55 Nobel laureates, and has also been honored with the Jerusalem Olive Award for its contribution to national heritage.
Scientific activities have become the basis for the Institute’s educational projects. The most recent, recently completed, project “Connections” is devoted to work with Russian-speaking Jewish schoolchildren from the former Soviet republics and Israel. It was supported by the Fooksman Family Foundation, Jewish Humanitarian Fund and Genesis Philanthropy Group. The project was based on the idea that the study of one’s own family tree can influence the emergence and development of Jewish self-identity among modern teenagers. To a large extent, this goal was achieved due to the fact that young people could see themselves in the history of distant ancestors and close relatives. The destinies of specific representatives of the participants’ families could not leave teenagers indifferent. Since the history of many Jewish families is often connected by a single historical, cultural and migration context, participants had the opportunity not only to learn about their own relatives, but also to meet the Jewish cultural heritage as a whole. As part of “Connections,” the institute is creating a teenage social network in which participants are united not only by common interests but also by common Jewish roots. At the very beginning of the project, many teenagers had no idea about the origin of their own Jewish surname or the history of their ancestors. It turned out that the opportunity to learn about it aroused sincere interest among schoolchildren. “Connections” included a series of online educational meetings with a representative of the institute, as well as independent research by the participants of their family history. At each meeting, teenagers learned about significant facts from the history of their family, where it originated, where their relatives lived, and what was their life’s work.