Our Mission
The mission of the Brandeis-Genesis Institute (BGI) is to prepare Russian-speaking students from around the world to become effective community leaders fortified by Jewish knowledge, a systematic understanding of Russian Jewry, and a commitment to the future of the Jewish people.
Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program
Russian speaking Jewish leaders of the 21st century must be able to understand trends, frame issues, and apply professional skills in new and creative ways. To address these challenges, Hornstein offers students intensive professional training and carefully selected field experiences in three graduate-level dual-degree programs. Learn More.
Graduate Hornstein Fellows Bios
Second Year Fellows
Ira Krakhman '13 (MA/MA)
Ira left balmy California where, for the past four years, she had been building a home in the Jewish community of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Her most recent role was as coordinator for a fundraising and development team at the Jewish Agency for Israel. Previously, she partnered with the Jewish Agency emissary to the Bay Area Russian Jews, laying foundations for communal engagement and stewardship among her Russian Jewish peers – a charismatic community known as Mishmash. For the past two years, as both professional and volunteer, she has taken great interest in the program's strategic development. Ira's vision is to see the Bay Area Russian Jewish community raise its unique presence through grass-roots innovation and creative engagement of local resources, including local funding sources.
Ira's Jewish quest began when she woke up one morning and found herself in Jerusalem where she spent 2006-2007 learning and volunteering. Formerly an English teacher, Ira holds a BA in English from Skidmore College and an MEd from Arcadia University. She immigrated from Odessa, Ukraine in 1990.