Gennady Favel, at The Blogs

Jul 3, 2026, 6:26 PM

Feng Shui of Reused Furniture, or The Joy of Bringing Home Found Trash

It’s Tuesday evening and the year is 1990. I am 9 or 10 years old, depending on the month, and excited for an evening stroll with my family to pick up some new stuff for the apartment. My sister,...

Apr 30, 2023, 1:44 AM

A Society Where We Constantly Seek Attention and Honors from Others

In The Master of the Ladder: The Life and Teachings of Rabbi Yehudah Leib Ashlag, the author, Rabbi Avraham Mordecai Gottlieb, discusses the views of a Porisov Rebbe on community members who seek honor and recognition. “In general, people look...

Apr 27, 2022, 5:00 PM

A View on Russian-speaking Jews, Then and Now

Let’s take a moment and get into a frame of mind. Imagine you’re a professional, hip, 30-something. Life is good. You have a desirable roster of friends and a rising social standing. On social media, let’s say on Facebook,...

Sep 20, 2021, 11:55 PM

The Meaning of Sukkot from a Russian-speaking Jewish Perspective

Gennady Favel's photo from a community event.

One of the first things that Russian-speaking Jews (RSJs) who wanted to learn more about their identity had to do in America was learn about Jewish holidays. While I am speaking strictly for myself, this is perhaps the order...

Jul 18, 2021, 7:01 AM

Russian-speaking Jews in the US, a community on the rise

Author Gil Troy at an event with the Russian-speaking Jewish community. (courtesy)

The Russian-speaking Jewish community is on the rise, and not a moment too soon! The past year has been a year of many surprises, some not so pleasant. Covid, social and economic unrest, the violence in Israel, antisemitism. The headlines,...

Nov 17, 2020, 5:14 PM

JPA – The Program for Russian Jews by Russian Jews is Going International

Last year, we announced the expansion of the Jewish Parent Academy from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Now, we are announcing a wider expansion, across North America! For those unfamiliar with JPA, the program was launched in 2015 by a group of Russian-speaking...

Aug 11, 2020, 4:05 PM

Featured Post

My first day as a Soviet refugee: 100 years of marketing in one minute

On our first morning in Austria we ventured out to a grocery store. 30 years later, I still recall the sensation of seeing all those colors

May 21, 2020, 8:37 PM

The Emergency That Jewish Nonprofits Must Tackle Next Is: Employment!

In the coming months Jewish nonprofits will face many challenges. Aside from the task of creating safe and healthy spaces, the main challenges will be around money. Program revenue will be down, or gone completely. Fundraising will likely be...

Mar 30, 2020, 6:54 PM

Community Outreach, Programs, and Fundraising in the Post-Pandemic Environment

Some time in the next few months the major health shock of the pandemic will hopefully be behind us. We will emerge from behind our video conference screens and face the challenges of helping communities re-energize. This will come...

Nov 27, 2019, 6:03 AM

Russian-speaking Jewry, truly a phoenix rising from its ashes

In the late 1980s and early 1990s when the Soviet Union finally allowed Jews within its borders to leave in mass, the vast majority of those immigrating were doing so for economic reasons. Sure, there was institutional antisemitism, and...

About Me

Gennady Favel has led marketing, community outreach and communications for a number of Jewish nonprofit organizations. His writing has been featured in eJewishPhilanthropy, The Forward, The NY Daily News, and Jewish Week

Contact Me