The World Wags on It: About Jewish Philanthropy and Jewish Identity

In this essay, the author briefly describes main principles of Jewish philanthropy and its main trends in Russia. Elena E. Nosenko-Stein stresses that activities of Jewish philanthropic organizations mainly cover needs of aged and poor persons. At the same time, the author notes that disabled persons, as a rule, do not become the recipients of Jewish both philanthropic organizations and Russian social services. Further the author tells about the Head of one of such organizations, Aleksander Ye. Kirnos and his Jewish self-identification as an impulse of his coming to Jewish philanthropic activities. Elena E. Nosenko-Stein underlines that his self-identification is one of the forms of Jewish self-identifications existing in contemporary Russia. Drawing on her research of Jewish identities, Elena E. Nosenko-Stein names people with this self-identification Guardians as they save and guard some elements of traditional Jewish (East Ashkenazic) culture and memory. Below is the text of the interview with Aleksander Kirnos (conducted by Elena E. Nosenko-Stein in July 2020).