Genesis Fund oligarchs pledge $10 million for Jews in Ukraine

The Genesis Philanthropy Group, best known for its annual $1 million prize for outstanding individuals, will give $10 million in emergency assistance to Jews impacted by the crisis in Ukraine.

The first $5 million will be provided immediately to help evacuate Jews from danger, enhance the security of Jewish organizations, provide seed funding for a campaign to distribute 30,000 packages of non-perishable foodstuffs across Ukraine, help vulnerable sectors of the community, and support regional and local Jewish community organizations operating essential services such as homes for the elderly and orphanages.

An additional $5 million will be provided to support humanitarian needs as the situation develops.

“As we watch with great distress the scenes coming from Ukraine, we see it as our duty to help Jews in danger, as we have done in other times and places,” said Gennady Gazin, chairman of the board of Genesis Philanthropy Group. “As someone born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, I am especially pained by this suffering. I hope that peace will return and the Ukrainian Jewish community will be able to withstand these hardships and thrive again.”

Co-founded by Ukraine-born oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and German Khan, and Russian-born Petr Aven, the Genesis Philanthropy Group seeks to strengthen Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews worldwide, promote understanding among Jews living in Israel and the Diaspora, and expand avenues for Jewish engagement.

It has also stepped up to help Jewish communities facing crises such as antisemitism and COVID-19.

Fridman, who, along with Aven, was put on an EU sanctions list on Monday for close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was the first oligarch to speak out against the invasion.