UJA - 01.30.2003

 

 

 

 

UJA-Federation of New York  

COJECO Adds a Russian Voice to American Jewry

Just about one year ago, UJA-Federation of New York helped establish a new organization to represent and advocate for Russian-speaking Jewish émigrés. Today that group, the Council of Jewish Émigré Community Organizations (COJECO), is the central coordinating body for New York’s Russian Jewish community and provides a united voice for its 25 member associations. 

The accomplishments of COJECO in its first year of operation have been outstanding. It has led Russian Jews in supporting the State of Israel and in coping with the attacks of 9/11. It has raised tens of thousands of dollars from both large and small contributors for philanthropic purposes in the United States. And it has fostered an abiding partnership between its member organizations and the mainstream Jewish world, particularly UJA-Federation of New York and its network of agencies.

“We want to create a two-way street between the Russian Jewish community and the established Jewish community,” said Feliks Frenkel, president of COJECO and a partner in the OTA Limited Partnership in New York. “We want to help Russian-speaking Jews learn about American Jewry and we want to help Jews in New York learn about Russian-speaking Jews who have immigrated here.”


Unifying New York’s Russian-speaking Jews
The first anniversary of COJECO was celebrated recently at a gala dinner at the National restaurant in Brighton Beach. Speaker after speaker from government and industry praised the work that this fledgling organization has done during its short history to unify the community of more than 400,000 Russian-speaking Jews that have settled in the New York area during the last 30 years. With Jews from the former Soviet Union now representing approximately 25 percent of all New York Jews, COJECO has made a strong impact and stands as an increasingly important force in Jewish life.

COJECO is governed by an independent board of directors who are not on the boards of any of its diverse social, cultural and religious constituent groups and who have professional experience in such fields as law, banking, and business. As it has grown during the year, it has guided the dynamic efforts of its member organizations in obtaining necessary funding and devising new programs, thereby stimulating their role as vital Jewish institutions.

“We are an accelerator for the men and women in our member organizations who are in the process of ‘making’ it in the United States,” said Alec Brook-Krasny, executive director of COJECO. “We consider ourselves an American Jewish organization representing Russian Jews.”

A Grassroots Beginning
The origins of COJECO date back to the ‘80s, when a number of grassroots organizations were formed in the Russian-Jewish community. Soon afterwards, UJA-Federation and the New York Association of New Americans created an Advisory Committee for Emigres. 

Launched with an initial grant of $100,000 from UJA-Federation and spurred by a second grant of $120,000, COJECO has already achieved singular success. It served as co-sponsor of a symposium last October on Jewish educational practices in the Russian-speaking community, was co-publisher of a Russian-language brochure on the Arab-Israel conflict, and has become the official representative of the New York Russian-speaking émigré community in national and international forums.

“COJECO also coordinates the programming of its member organizations in order to eliminate or minimize duplication,” said Boris Kurdimun, a program director at the Commission of the Jewish People of UJA-Federation. “It works with F.E.G.S. and the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services to bring those who need help in touch with agencies that can provide this help.”

Planning for the Future
But this is only the beginning. COJECO has far-reaching goals to extend its programs and services to meet the needs, concerns, and priorities of Russian-speaking Jews. One of its most significant efforts deals with integrating the émigré community into the mainstream of American Jewry. 

Thus COJECO looks forward with pride from the firm foundation it has created during its initial year of existence to a future that will benefit not only its own membership, but also the Jewish people as a whole. It has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go. And if the past is any guide to the future, its achievements in the years ahead as a leading Jewish advocacy and public policy organization will surprise even its most fervent supporters today.