The COJECO BluePrint Fellowship
Educational Workshop
Grandma’s recipes with a healthy twist
Series of health and nutrition workshops that will educate community members and their children about healthful nutrition that is fun and delicious and can be implemented in all life stages. The workshops will explore traditional Jewish cuisine (grandma’s recipes) and will turn them into healthier, more nutritionally conscious meals, while learning about history and tradition […]
Intellectual Jewish Salon Series
We’re building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world’s most inspired thinkers – and a Jewish community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other at events in New York. Intellectual Jewish Salon Series will host speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity to help build a strong community for young […]
Anna Vinogradskaya is the author and presenter of the "Intellectual Club Tel Aviv" based in JCC Moscow. She also runs "Club Friends Of Zhukovka" based in JCC Zhukovka. She is the chief editor of the Mercedes-Benz Club Magazine, journalist and communications specialist. Anna used to worked at the TNT broadcasting channel, in the CTC Media holding and at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) as a PR director. She participated in major cultural events around the world - the art fair in Vienna, Art Basel in Miami, the Venice Biennale, and interned in New York. Anna’s broad outlook and her extensive experience in communicating with leaders in various fields of art, science and business will make it possible to best represent and reveal any topic of the “Intellectual Club Tel Aviv” and “Club Friends Of Zhukovka”.
Jewish Children’s Museum Tour
For his community project, David Bas organized a workshop and tour for Russian-speaking Jewish families at the Jewish Children’s Museum in Brooklyn. The workshop, attended by over 50 people, was followed by a discussion on the influence of Jewish roots and traditions on our parenting choices.
David Bas organized a workshop and tour at the Jewish Children’s Museum for children and families. The workshop was followed by a discussion on the the influence of Jewish roots/traditions on our parenting choices.
Jewish Choices
A study and a follow-up parenting workshop on helping families develop a framework of incorporating Jewish culture and customs into their life and their parenting choices.
Jewish Meditation for Russian-speaking Jews
The idea was to expose Russian Speaking Jews to Jewish Meditative practices minus the religion as well as create community after the event through sushi and refreshments. This way the group exists to learn meditative / contemplative practices while supporting each other in their personal and social development. Two events took place: June 1, 2015 […]
Steven Perchikov was born in Belarus and immigrated to the United States at the age of 4. Steven is interested in poetry, spirituality and entrepreneurship. Steven currently works at a technology startup, as well as volunteers, brainstorms social businesses and spends a lot of time with close family and friends. For his COJECO BluePrint Fellowship community project, Steven created a workshop series on Jewish meditation for the Russian-speaking Jewish community.
Kultur-lige Movement in Ukraine, 1918-1930s
An exploration of artistic output of the Kultur-lige movement in the context of Yiddish and Soviet culture in Ukraine in late 1910s – 1930s. Event took place November 3, 2014 at YIVO – Institute for Jewish Research
Oksana Rosenblum graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary with a Master’s in Jewish Art and Visual Culture in 2005. She received a Diploma in Jewish Studies from Oxford University in 1999, and gained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Cultural Anthropology from Ukraine in 1998 and 2001. Since 2005, Oksana has been free-lancing as a visual researcher in the field of Jewish art and history, working for the newly created museums of Jewish History in Warsaw and Moscow, among others. Her field of expertise and interest is the history of Jews in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and contemporary Ukraine. As a hobby, Oksana studies Persian and Indian music, and occasionally performs with ethnic group ensembles.
Roots: The Classics
Cultural event series about Jewish representation in classical arts
Soprano Anya Fidelia made her professional debut at the Caramoor International Festival in the summer of 2005 where she returned during subsequent seasons to work on the roles of Leonora in Verdi’s Il Trovatore as well as Leonora in La Forza del Destino. Ms. Fidelia also appeared in numerous concerts with the company.
Ms. Fidelia’s recent and current seasons include the roles of Suor Angelica; Georgetta in Il Tabarro; Santuzza in Cavaleria Rusticana; Tatyana in Eugene Onegin; Leonora in Il Trovatore; Blanche de la Force in the Dialogues of the Carmelites; Mimi in La Boheme as well as the title roles of Puccini’s Tosca and Madame Butterfly throughout Europe and US. Ms. Fidelia’s domestic and international engagement highlights also include numerous appearances at The Metropolitan Opera Guild; recitals with International Rachmaninov Society in New York City presided by Vladimir Ashkenazy and for the UN VIP guests of the UN Russian Mission, sponsored and hosted by Mayor Bloomberg among others.
Past seasons highlights included such roles as Puccini’s Tosca, Mozart’s Donna Anna andCountess at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia; appearance in Stefan Weisman’s new opera “Darkling” with the American Opera Projects; a soundtrack for Tribeca Film Festival award winner documentary “Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis” and Cannes Festival award winner documentary “Bye-bye, Babushka!” as well as the tour of France with the New York Opera Society.
Rus Jews Views
Rus Jews Views aims to destigmatize psychotherapy in the Russian-speaking Jewish community and states the case for psychotherapy as an acceptable and often necessary component of general health and well-being. A manuscript of Victoria’s research is currently being finalized and submitted for publication in a top-tier psychology journal. At least two more publications are pending.
Victoria Drob is a National Board Certified Counselor, holding a master's degree and a license in clinical counseling. Providing psychotherapeutic counseling during her internships as part of her graduate studies has been a life-altering experience for her. For her COJECO Blueprint community project, Victoria conducted research that brought to light the stigmas surrounding the field of psychology in the ex-Soviet culture, in the hopes of dispelling the prevalent myths and misconceptions. Victoria hosted an educational lecture on the benefits of counseling for the Russian-speaking Jewish audience offering insights gained from her research results. Victoria continues advocacy work and research in this field. Her project, Rus Jews Views, can be followed on www.RusJewsViews.com as well as on Facebook.
Russian Jewish Singles Mingle
Create a community for Russian-Speaking Jewish Singles where they can meet, mingle, learn, and stay within the community to create Jewish families. The project will develop culture & learning series with diverse Jewish content in an informal atmosphere of a singles meet up.
Inna was born in Donetsk, Ukraine and immigrated to US with parents in 1993. She is a Brooklyn College graduate with a Business, Management, and Finance degree. While her career is in analytical roles in fashion industry, she loves to travel in her free time. She has a passion for learning and connecting people.
South Brooklyn Art and Science Culture Club
The South Brooklyn Art and Science Culture Club is a community initiative for Russian-speaking American Jews of South Brooklyn (Sheepshead Bay, Brighton and Manhattan Beach areas). The Culture Club provides a platform for South Brooklyn residents to meet and explore their Jewish identity in the context of both formal presentations and workshops as well as informal […]
Anna Rozenboym was born in Moscow and immigrated to United States with her family in 1994. She received her BA in Psychology from Pace University and Masters Degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University. Although Anna’s educational career began with a passion for clinical work and a desire to provide quality services to patients, she continued to explore her interest and fascination with the workings of the brain by engaging in research and pursuing her PhD in Neural and Behavioral Sciences at SUNY Downstate. A scientist and an educator, she is proud to serve Brooklyn Community as an Assistant Professor in the Department of the Biological Sciences at Kingsborough Community College.
StroyKa
Architecture workshops for Russian-speaking families with kids 6-12 years old. The project participants will discover works by architects of Jewish descent (ex: Moisei Ginzburg, Alexander Brodsky, Moshe Safdie and Louis Kahn among others) and will develop the foundation of architectural design and freedom of creativity. Through the workshops families will find parallels between Jewish values and specific […]
Masha Dinor is originally from Saratov, Russia and recently immigrated to New York. She is an architect and interior designer by trade and finds inspiration in teaching kids about art and design. She was an active member of Saratov' Jewish life and taught tradition and craft lessons at a local Jewish Family Center. Once she moved to Moscow to advance her career, Masha also led classes at a local architectural studio for kids. Masha continues her work as an art educator in New York, where she teaches at Kibbutznik summer camp, Kompot events, Little-Avangardist and Dacha project.
Alex Zhuravsky works as an occupational therapist in Brooklyn. For his project he decided to bring his skills as a therapist to the senior community of Brooklyn.
The Art Story: Jewish Themes in Modern Art
Michael founded The Art Story Foundation in 2009. A year later, he was the recipient of the COJECO BluePrint grant with which he launched a series of lectures related to Modern Art. The audience consisted mainly of Russian Speaking Jews and lectures focused on the achievements of Jewish artists to 20th century art. After a […]
Michael Zurakhinsky is a graduate of Manhattan College with an MBA from New York University. His background includes extensive experience in web technology, business and finance and a passion for art and literature. He has been involved as a lay leader and volunteer in many aspects of the NYC Russian Jewish community. He also founded the modern art appreciation organization TheArtStory.org.
The Red Tent
Masha Pekurovsky project “The Red Tent” is a dance and video tribute to the feminine – An exploration of the Jewish female identity through the eyes of the artist. Building upon her passion for design, video art and tribal belly dance, Masha seeks to bring a multi-disciplinary performance experience to the audience.
Masha Pekurovsky was born in Kiev Ukraine. She was 9 years old when her family repatriated to Israel in the wave of 1990. Masha holds a Cum Laude Bachelors degree of Arch. from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. She immigrated to California in 2003 and has been calling New York “home” since 2007.
Her project “Passageways” is a dance and video tribute to the feminine – An exploration of the Jewish female identity through the eyes of the artist. Building upon her passion for design, video art and tribal belly dance, Masha seeks to bring a multi-disciplinary performance experience to the audience. Masha is a designer at HOK. She is also a member of the East Coast Tribal dance community and has been performing live video art under the stage name VJ nasha_masha.
We|Come To America
A 7-hour scavenger hunt of the Lower East Side and Downtown NYC. The goal of this project was to engage Russian Jewish New Yorkers ages 22-35 in a program that creates closeness to their Jewish identity and roots as well as to educate about the immigrant experience in NY. A total of 21 teams – over 150 […]
Veronica was born in Kharkov and raised in Khmelnitsky Ukraine. She immigrated to the US during the early 1988 wave and settled in Brooklyn with her family where she found herself as the only Russian immigrant in a junior high school class full of tough Italian-American kids. Veronica reconnected with her immigrant roots in high school and college inside a group of diverse and friendly nerds, one that may only be found in NY, a welcoming immigrant capital. Veronica has taken part in and chaired many Russian-Jewish initiatives in NYC and looks forward to helping create stronger identities in creative ways.
