Inspiration Creates Energy.  A Solid Foundation Is What Success Is Built On.

 

We believe that true leadership is about inspiring and guiding others. To be able to do this successfully, one must first lay a solid foundation in three key areas: Jewish knowledge, personal growth, and leadership skills.

 

At MAKOR we believe that the best way to impact 600,000 North American Russian-Jewish individuals (the largest community in the world outside of Israel and twice the size of the one remaining in Russia) is by focusing on developing individual talented Russian-American students and young professionals into community leaders.

 

Russian-Americans have historically been totally disconnected from anything Jewish.  Even when living in the US, both first and second generation Russian-American Jews did not connect to the American Jewish community. This puts them at a high risk of assimilation, which today is beginning to significantly impact this community. According to the recent Pew Center study, someone lacking a solid foundation in Jewish learning and a regular connection to the Jewish community has a 71% (!) likelihood of assimilating.

 

We have observed Russian-Americans like Sergey Brin (founder of Google), Max Levchin (co-founder of PayPal), and Jan Boris Koum (founder of WhatsApp) reach amazing heights in their careers. One can only imagine the impact they would have had on the American Jewish world if they would have been inspired by a connection to the Jewish community and Jewish values.

 

Fortunately, many organizations have stepped in to provide quality first-level programming, such as Israel trips and Jewish classes for students and young professionals. Many of these organizations were originally focused on stopping assimilation and creating a connection to Israel. Once students have become involved in these quality first-level programs, they want to build upon this original inspiration. As a result, there is now an enormous demand from these students for the next stage in growing and expanding their Jewish learning, as well as to provide them with the tools needed to build themselves up as leaders of the Jewish community. This is why MAKOR was created.

 

At MAKOR we empower up-and-coming talented young Russian-American Jews using a comprehensive educational approach so that they should be inspired for life. This means becoming knowledgeable and skilled to make a powerful and lasting impact on the American Jewish community, and have a strong connection to the land of Israel.

 

Our ultimte goal is to see MAKOR participants translating their well-developed foundation in Jewish learning, personal growth and leadership skills into action. Our students are becoming innovators by creating new community programs, educational initiatives, and serving as shining examples inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.