Tuesday, October 9, 2007

The Ginsburgs offer a HELPing Hand!

The Ginsburgs are a very special and deeply appreciated couple for the Minsk Jewish community. Their philanthropic generosity has benefited Jewish communities in Minsk and Vitebsk tremendously, and touched the lives of many members within those communities.

I was honored to have met this couple from New York last night at a Project HELP gathering at the Minsk Jewish Campus. Project HELP is a business education and loan program for young Jews from the Minsk Jewish community. At the gathering, the Ginsburgs shared their experiences as accomplished business people and answered questions from the audience. Their wisdom and practical guidance were appreciated by all, including myself.

I'm certainly not a "business person" by any stretch of the imagination (read: I've been here for a whole month and I'm STILL mystified by Belarusian rubles), but I still found their advice relevant and valuable. I especially appreciated hearing how they understand their Jewish identity in the context of their professional lives and about their decision to create a relationship with Jewish communities in Belarus by giving.

Even after the program, I still wanted to hear more from Mr. Ginsburg!

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