COMMON MAPS
Map version new-york activity top-down
Main site Contact
Menu
↑ parent activity group ·
research dossier

FEDERATION OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES OF THE CIS INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 133970940 · Form 990 · FY2023 · NTEE T31J · Philanthropy & Grantmaking · Very Large (>$50M) · fjc-fsu.org
revenue
$50.8M
expenses
$58.1M
net assets
$62.7M
employees
28
volunteers
4
program ratio
98%
mission · from form 990

TO PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN AID AND JEWISH EDUCATION, ORGANIZE AND PROVIDE CULTURAL EVENTS AND RELIGIOUS SERVICES, AND HELP DEVELOP JEWISH COMMUNITIES AND REBUILD JEWISH INSTITUTIONS, IN RUSSIA, THE FORMER SOVIET UNION, AND ELSEWHERE.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS supports Jewish life across 10 post-Soviet countries through humanitarian aid, education, and community rebuilding. It operates a network of day schools, children's homes, soup kitchens, and medical clinics, while providing religious and cultural programming. The organization focuses on reviving Jewish identity and institutions in regions where Soviet repression severely disrupted communal life.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $27.73M
    RELIGIOUS & EDUCATIONAL SERVICES - FOR MILLIONS OF JEWS WHO WERE UNFAILINGLY EDUCATED IN THE STATE DOCTRINE OF ATHEISM, FORCED TO GROW UP WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR RELIGION, CULTURE OR HERITAGE, JEWISH EDUCATION IS ESSENTIALLY AN EXPERIENCE OF SPIRITUAL REBIRTH. THE FEDERATION FOR JEWISH COMMUNITIES SUPPORTS 124 EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING JEWISH KINDERGARTENS, ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, HIGH SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES, WITH AN AGGREGATE ENROLLMENT OF MORE THAN 7,000 STUDENTS.
  2. #2 $9.56M
    HUMANITARIAN AID - MORE THAN ONE MILLION JEWS STILL LIVE IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION. MORE THAN A THIRD OF THEM ARE POOR, SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES, ELDERLY, DISABLED, OR SICK, MANY LACK THE MOST BASIC NEEDS, SUCH AS FOOD, CLOTHING AND MEDICINE. THE FEDERATION FOR JEWISH COMMUNITIES SUPPORTS SOUP KITCHENS AND THE DELIVERY OF THOUSANDS OF ADDITIONAL MEALS TO PEOPLE WHO CAN'T LEAVE THEIR HOMES, CHILDREN, AND NEEDY FAMILIES. THE FEDERATION ALSO SUPPORTS THE DISTRIBUTION OF CLOTHES AND MEDICATIONS, MEDICAL CLINICS, ORPHANAGES, SAFE HOMES, ASSISTED LIVING, AND SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTERS FOR JEWS THROUGHOUT THE FSU.
named programs · 8 · from sources

What they call their work

Children's Homes Network
Orphanage network with five children's homes sheltering over 400 orphans, displaced, and abused children in cities including Moscow, Zhitomir, Odessa, Donetsk, and Dnepropetrovsk.
Darkeinu Jewish Heritage Learning Curriculum
Comprehensive Jewish studies curriculum used in kindergartens, elementary schools, and high schools across the FSU, emphasizing contemporary relevance.
Humanitarian Aid Program
Provides monthly food packages, biannual clothing packages, Passover parcels, medical assistance, and soup kitchens serving two hot meals daily.
Medical Clinics Network
Free medical clinics offering first-aid and preventive care in pediatrics, obstetrics, dentistry, optometry, and reconstructive surgery.
Or Avner Jewish Educational Network
Network of 124 day schools providing free secular and Jewish education to over 6,823 students across the FSU.
Rabbinical Alliance
Network of 101 rabbis across 10 countries providing religious leadership and community services in post-Soviet Jewish communities.
Soup Kitchens
Over 40 kosher soup kitchens providing two hot meals daily to elderly and needy Jews throughout the FSU.
Special Aid Fund
Provides emergency financial assistance for urgent medical care, housing repair, hunger, and family crises through community rabbis.
activities · 8 groups

What they do

  • Jewish Dual-Curriculum Education 2 activities
    • Operate Jewish educational network
      Operates or supports 124 Jewish educational institutions across the Former Soviet Union, including day schools, kindergartens, and high schools, serving over 7,000 students with secular and Jewish heritage education. Provides free tuition, daily hot meals, and supplements local staff with teachers from Israel.
    • Operate specialized high schools and boarding institutions
      Operates Mesivta Jewish Boys’ College and supports a Boys High School in Moscow, providing free full boarding, high school curriculum, English, computer science, and Jewish traditions to 200 students from 40 cities, with recognition for academic excellence.
  • Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 2 activities
    • Operate soup kitchens and meal delivery programs
      Runs over 40 kosher soup kitchens providing two hot meals daily, nearly year-round, and delivers meals to homebound individuals, children, and needy families through a network of soup kitchens and outreach programs.
    • Provide humanitarian aid and essential supplies
      Distributes 4,500 monthly food packages, 4,800 clothing packages twice yearly, 88,000 Passover parcels annually, and provides food staples, clothing, and financial assistance to children and families in need across the FSU, with some food parcels serving as the primary source of monthly nutrition.
  • Jewish Religious Education and Outreach 1 activity
    • Deliver Jewish heritage and informal education programs
      Implements the Darkeinu curriculum in schools and organizes informal education initiatives such as summer camps, EnerJew, Stars, online MEGA FJC contests, and an annual international 'Olympics' competition to engage thousands of children and youth in Jewish learning and leadership development.
  • Residential Care for At-Risk Youth 1 activity
    • Operate children's homes and orphanages
      Runs a network of over five children's homes across multiple cities in the Former Soviet Union, providing shelter and daily care—including psychological counseling, medical treatment, nutritious meals, clothing, and cultural enrichment—for over 400 orphans, abandoned, abused, or homeless children.
  • Holocaust Survivor Support Services 1 activity
    • Operate senior and assisted living facilities
      Runs safe homes, assisted living facilities, and senior activity centers for elderly Jews in the FSU to support well-being and social engagement.
  • Jewish Community Poverty Relief 1 activity
    • Provide medical and mental health services
      Operates free medical clinics offering care in pediatrics, obstetrics, dentistry, optometry, ENT, and reconstructive surgery; provides free medications to the sick and elderly; and deploys psychiatric and psychological teams from Israel to deliver mental health counseling in Jewish communities across the former Soviet Union.
  • Ukraine War Humanitarian Relief 1 activity
    • Support refugee crisis relief
      Provides essential support to over 7,050 refugees in Eastern Ukraine, including shelter, clothing, medical attention, and employment assistance.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Revive and establish Jewish communities
      Supported the revival of Jewish communities across ten time zones by establishing synagogues, community centers, and schools in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse, including inaugurating new centers such as in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan.
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$50.81M
Contributions & grants$48.84M96%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$1.97M4%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$58.13M
Program expenses98%
Admin / overhead2%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$1.01M
Grants paid out$54.81M
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$62.72M
Cash$9.29M
Investments$51.84M
Liabilities$0
Net assets$62.72M
Liquid reserves12.6 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue -17.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

board members · 4
  • BEREL LAZAR — DIRECTOR
  • DAVID MONDSHINE — EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & TREASURER
  • SHLOMO PELES — SECRETARY
  • YOSEF BRICKMAN — DIRECTOR
relationships · 19

Who they work with

  • Chabad-Lubavitch Partner — Collaborated with rabbis sent by Chabad-Lubavitch to provide spiritual leadership and support community renewal across the FSU region.
  • Claims Conference Partner — Partner in providing humanitarian aid to needy Jews in the FSU.
  • Ezra Foundation Partner — Partner in providing humanitarian aid to needy Jews in the FSU.
  • Global Jewish and Relief Network Partner — Partner in providing humanitarian aid to needy Jews in the FSU.
  • International Fellowship of Christians Funder — Supports the FJC's expansion of soup kitchen services.
  • International Fellowship of Christians Partner — Partner in establishing and operating a network of free medical clinics.
  • International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Partner — Cooperates in the distribution of clothing packages and coupons to needy children.
  • International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Partner — Distributes food parcels jointly with the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS.
  • International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Partner — Partner in providing humanitarian aid to needy Jews in the FSU.
  • International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Partner — Partners with FJC to fund and distribute the Special Aid Fund to Jewish communities in the CIS.
  • Israeli Ministry of Education Government — Recognizes and supports the Hebrew, History, and Judaic studies curriculum in Ohr Avner day schools.
  • Joint Distribution Committee Partner — Partner in providing humanitarian aid to needy Jews in the FSU.
  • Keshet Fund Partner — Supports children's homes in Moscow and Zhitomir.
  • Ohr Avner Foundation Partner — Partners with the Federation of Jewish Communities to support Jewish education initiatives.
  • Ohr Avner Foundation Partner — Underwrites free tuition at Ohr Avner day schools; founded by FJC President Lev Leviev.
  • Or Avner Partner — Jewish school network using the Darkeinu curriculum and participating in its international competition.
  • Or Avner Foundation Funder — Provides funding for co-educational high schools supported by the Federation.
  • Rohr Family Foundation Funder — Finances salaries and living expenses of rabbis and their families dispatched to lead local communities in the former Soviet Union.
  • Shema Yisrael network Partner — Jewish education network using the Darkeinu curriculum and participating in its international competition.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Adaptive, Community-Led Revival Programming
    methodology: needs_adaptive_programming
    By continuously assessing and adapting to local needs through community leadership and localized distribution, the organization ensures relevance and effectiveness, because context-specific, bottom-up design increases responsiveness and trust in humanitarian and educational interventions.
  • Holistic, Community-Adapted Humanitarian Support
    methodology: inclusive_humanitarian_support
    By integrating kosher-compliant food, clothing, medical care, and financial aid within a culturally grounded framework, the organization ensures physical and psychological well-being, because aid that respects religious and contextual needs increases dignity, health, and social integration.
  • Jewish Education as Spiritual and Cultural Revival
    methodology: spiritual_rebirth_through_education
    By delivering culturally adapted Jewish education, especially to those raised under Soviet atheist doctrine, the organization fosters spiritual rebirth and reconnection to heritage, because education is seen as a transformative vehicle for identity restoration and communal renewal.