LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring RAJE, the Russian Division of Gateways,
and commemorating its Inaugural Dinner on February 9, 2009

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend organizations of high purpose and worthy accomplishment whose
endeavors have a significant impact on the lives of those they serve;
and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor
RAJE, the Russian Division of Gateways, and to commemorate its Inaugural
Dinner, to be held at the National Ballroom in Brooklyn on February 9,
2009; and
WHEREAS, Since 1998, the Gateways Organization has dedicated itself to
education in values and ethical living, and to reconnecting people with
their Jewish heritage; and
WHEREAS, Gateways' vibrant divisions address the needs of the broad
spectrum of the Jewish experience; recognizing that more than 15 percent
of American Jewry is Russian speaking, Gateways established its Russian
Division, RAJE (Russian American Jewish Experience) to provide intergen-
erational programming for the Russian speaking American Jewish communi-
ty; and
WHEREAS, The dynamic, thriving RAJE center in Brighton Beach serves as
an educational, social, and community center and bustles with activity
round the clock seven days a week; and
WHEREAS, Forty years ago few could imagine the bright future awaiting
members of the Russian Jewish community then living in the Soviet Union
and, it was barely a generation ago that the American Jewish community
came together to help achieve freedom for Soviet Jewry; and
WHEREAS, Nearly a million Jews from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) have
made their home in America, including thousands upon thousands in New
York City and New York State, and given the opportunities of our great
nation, many have flourished; and
WHEREAS, Yet the seeds of spiritual and communal destruction implanted
by the Soviet regime helped create a crisis of Jewish and communal iden-
tity which, if left unabated, could jeopardize the survival of this
important Russian American community; and
WHEREAS, To address this monumental challenge, the RAJE Leadership
Fellowship was created to train and inspire a new generation of communi-
ty leaders; and
WHEREAS, In just two years, 932 university students and young profes-
sionals have completed the program featuring a full semester of intense
educational and leadership development programming which culminates in a
14 day educational trip to Europe and Israel; already, alumni are form-
ing a core group of young leaders among the Russian American Jewish
community; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend RAJE for its
purposeful endeavors and commitment to the preservation and enhancement
of the rich religious, ethnic, and cultural heritage of the Russian
American Jewish community which has become such a valued and integral
part of the community of the City and State of New York; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor RAJE, the Russian Division of Gateways, and to commemorate its
Inaugural Dinner, to be held at the National Ballroom in Brooklyn on
February 9, 2009; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to RAJE - Gateways.