LIMMUD FSU Recharge Presenters 2017

Ilana Volodarsky arrived in St. Paul from the former Soviet Union in 1989.
She holds a dual degree from the University of Minnesota in Business management and Sales Marketing.
Her work experience includes Event Planning for Public Affairs Division at Land O’Lakes Corporation, Project Management for Weisman Corporation. During her college years, Ilana worked for Jewish Community Relations Council/ADL MN. She mentors various communities in the US and serves as a consultant for new projects/programs for RSJ population. Ilana provides educational sessions and seminars on Russian Jewish Culture. Ilana is a graduate of “Centropa Summer Academy” in Berlin. Ilana served on the Host Committee for JDC Global Symposium for the Midwest Region.

Ilana is the Founder and Director of the RAJMN program at Jewish Federation of Greater St. Paul
since 2003. RAJMN is the only Jewish-Russian program for young families, young adults and teens in Minnesota, working to connect them to the larger Jewish community and provide a deeper understanding of Judaism and Russian-Jewish roots and culture. It’s a volunteer-led initiative, and all programs and events, held throughout the year, celebrate Jewish and Russian culture and serve as learning opportunities. RAJMN also serves as a bridge to other Jewish organizations, connecting Russian-American Jews to synagogues, Jewish schools, programs in Israel, Jewish summer camps and other programs as needed. RAJMN provides out of town educational opportunities and scholarship funding for RAJMN teen and adult program participants. Over the past 13 years RAJMN has organized more than 300 events.

RAJMN Teen Fellowship was created in 2016 as a year-long program. The main goal of the program is to connect RSJ generations, pass on history, traditions and culture from generation to generation. Teen participants have monthly guest speakers covering various Jewish topics such as Israel, Holocaust, Jewish History, art, music and more. Teens are working on a documentary film with Russian-Jewish Holocaust survivors and WWII veterans, participating in fundraisers and organizing Jewish events for RSJ community in Minnesota.