Dear friends at Zionist House and RJCF, I'm happy to write you this update letter again. A few things in my life have changed since the last letter I wrote. I moved from Haifa to Tirat Carmel in January. I used to live alone in my previous apartment, and now I live with a roommate. We found a great connection despite the age difference — she’s 20 years old and a soldier in the army, and I’m five years older than her. It’s a real blessing to have found such a wonderful girl to live with and share experiences.

Dear Friends at Zionist House and RJCF, Hello, my name is Victoria Korobko. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about myself . I was born in Ukraine and made Aliyah when I was 9 years old. Since then, I’ve been living in Rishon Lezion with my family and our cat, Itsik. For the past year, I’ve been in a relationship, and we’re planning to move in together soon – something I find very exciting.

The 17th Annual Boston-Sderot Summer Camp will open its doors to 80 children of Sderot this summer. Our partnership with Sderot is everlasting and rare. Camp Boston-Sderot provides safety and respite to the kids living in Sderot and recovering from the monstrous October 7th attacks.
Equally as important, the impact extends to the volunteer counselors who:

* Build a strong connection to our sister community in Sderot * Come home with an unbreakable sense of pride in standing with Israel * Share stories of their experiences upon their return to their college campuses

To see last year’s impact, read the Jewish Journal publication, the Sderot campers’ reflections and sentiments from Camp RSM parents here. As you know, this is a community effort and not possible without your help. We ask you to donate today to make this summer as impactful as ever. Each counselor is fundraising $3,000 to be eligible to volunteer. We THANK YOU for your support!

Following the horrific attack on the State of Israel on October 7th, 2023, our Boston Sderot Community Center has not been operating as it used to. After years of operation as the community center where children and adult could find refuge and spend time together, also earning honorable reputation for being the hub for all English learning in the entire city of Sderot, it was forced to suspend its services. This measure has had a widespread and devastating impact on a community that is grieving, repairing and trying to restart the normalcy of every day’s life again.

Sasha and Leonid Raiz have initiated with support of the RJCF and funded a new ceramics studio in Ariel, Israel. It was a wonderful event, filled with a warm and welcoming crowd, including the mayor of Ariel. Ceramics teacher Nelly Levin carefully selected top-quality equipment-a kiln, a slab roller, and pottery wheel...

Last month, RJCF sponsored seven local teens to travel to the Club Z National Conference in San Francisco, CA. 
Club Z is a national organization for Jewish teens with a goal to prepare and educate Jewish teens to confidently and proudly stand with and advocate for Israel, the Jewish people and themselves.

The three day MLK weekend event was attended by Lielle Rifkin, Jessa Fridberg, Alisa Paley, Margo Clenow, Sofia Maklin, Daniel Rozhansky, and Alexandra Sverdlov along with nearly 150 teens from California, North Carolina, and New York, and chaperoned by Yelya Margolin as well as RJCF Vice President Lana Rifkin and Board Member Inessa Rifkin.

RJCF is proud to partner with Club Z in opening a Boston chapter of the organization this coming fall!

More than 100 people got together to celebrate our two, latest RJCF ambulances before they ship off to Israel!
Our current fleet has made over 16,000 Emergency Service Calls since they have been operating in Sderot, Ariel and Tel Aviv. See the latest Emergency Vehicle Service Reports here.
We are making an unbelievable, life saving impact to the People of Israel and we couldn’t be more proud to do that with all of you.

The Russian Jewish Community Foundation is proud to announce a significant milestone in its mission to support emergency response services in Israel. Thanks to the generosity and compassion of our amazing community, we have successfully raised funds to sponsor two new Magen David Adom ambulances dedicated to victims of October 7th. 

The dedication ceremony will take place on Sunday, January 12, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, at Hebrew College, located at 1860 Washington St, Auburndale, MA 02466.
This event is open to the public and free of charge, but guests are required to RSVP to secure their free ticket by visiting bit.ly/RJCFevent.

Dr. Lana Rifkin has been a proud member of the RJCF Board of Directors for 9 years, serving on the Gala Committee as well leading the Sderot Project Committee for many years before turning her attention to Zionist activism, particularly with local community teens.  
After the events of October 7th and the rising antisemitism, especially on academic campuses, Lana has focused on education and connection to Israel with her own children and their peers. She is passionate about Israel and maintaining a strong and proud Jewish identity, frequently organizing community actions and events. She and her family travel to Israel often, to volunteer, to learn, and to connect...