Irina Nevzlin - The Impact of Identity: The Power of Knowing Who You Are

To my spirited and witty sons, who inspire me to think, question, and learn new things about myself every day.

The Impact of Identity

The power of knowing who you are

Irina Nevzlin

Copyright 2019 Irina Nevzlin

All rights reserved; No parts of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information retrieval system, without the permission, in writing, of the author.

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Contents

Foreword

I was born, like my daughter, in a country that does not exist anymore. It was called the USSR, and its proclaimed mission was to build the most prosperous and fair state for all the workers in the world. Such words as identity, self-identity, or rootedness, did not exist in the vocabulary of Soviet citizens. Jewish identity was an even more exotic expression. Irina writes that she discovered her Jewishness when someone in my school called me a Jew using a derogatory term. At the same age of seven, I discovered my Jewishness while sneaking a peek at the list of the pupils in my class. I was the only registered Jew! After Irinas discovery, her grandmother told her, We are not going to say another word about it ever again. Twenty years earlier, my parents basically gave me the same message: it was better not to discuss the fact that we were Jews. For years to follow, my Jewish identity included the feeling of being limited in my options for education and my choices for a professional career.

Then, at the end of the 80s, things started to change rapidly. The Soviet Union began to crumble and fall; the old communist doctrine was replaced by the lucrative idea of free enterprise. My life changed dramatically. I began to pursue a professional career in business and, by the end of the 90s, became vice president of the biggest oil company in Russia. I felt like all the doors had begun opening for me. The invisible ceiling I had sensed from my childhood disappeared and the sky was the limit.

Apparently, being a highly successful entrepreneur was not enough for me; I did not want to limit myself to the world of business. When, in 1996, a group of Jewish businessmen and intelligentsia founded the Russian Jewish Congress charitable fund, I felt proud of my tribesmen who were not afraid to tell the world they wanted to develop Jewish culture in Russia. I immediately felt a connection to the cause. I began to participate in many of the Congresss projects and to support them financially. Four years later, I was elected the second president of the Congress.

The 90s also played a revolutionary role in forming the Jewish identity of my daughter. In 1992, Irina visited Israel, where she felt at home and underwent an incredible experience at the Western Wall. That same year, she was accepted to the first Jewish school in Moscow, where she discovered: the same feeling of belonging I had felt in Israel. Actually, my daughter was the first member of my family in three generations to receive a formal Jewish educationsomething that was absolutely unimaginable in the Soviet Union.

Then things began to change again in Russia. The Soviet Union and KGB began to slowly but surely make their comeback in our lives. My business partner was arrested and I had to leave Russia and move to Israel, while Irina left for England. By that time, my self-identity included not only the feeling of belonging to the Jewish people but the concept of having an active role in Jewish life. Very soon upon arriving in Israel I established the NADAV Foundation, which has been involved in numerous educational and cultural projects in Israel and abroad for the last fifteen years.

For me, one of the happiest moments in my philanthropic career was the day my daughter came to Israel after a short stay in England and decided to join me. She started with a relatively small project of her own, learning the nuts and bolts of philanthropy in Israel, and slowly but surely became more and more involved in other projects and initiatives. Throughout this period, I felt incredible synergy flowing between us. Now, Irina is the president of the NADAV Foundation and the chair of the board of directors of the Museum of the Jewish Peoplea flagship project of the NADAV Foundation.

For me, this is the continuity and succession of my mission.

For all these years in Israel, both of us have not only been involved in philanthropy, but we have also learned about our family roots. With the help of outstanding Israeli historians, we have managed to dig up our family tree roots back to the end of the 18th century! The realization that you belong to a huge family, and learning the names of hundreds of close and distant relatives, dramatically changes a persons perception of their place and role in this world. You not only realize the uniqueness of yourself, your family, and your peopleyou also perceive the uniqueness of other individuals, their families, and their people.

I believe this is what happened to Irina. After all, we are not only searching for new definitions of our identity but for new values as well. She came a long way searching for her identity and, during this journey, she discovered inner strength and knowledge that she wanted to share with the world.

The result is her first book, The Impact of Identity: The power of knowing who you are, offering tools to forge a multi-faceted identity, rooted in our unique history and experience. It is a guide for people who want to lead a meaningful life in our ever-changing world.

I am very proud of Irinas first book and wish her success in spreading her ideas to the world.

Leonid Nevzlin , July 2019

Acknowledgements

This book would have never come to be without the support of my family, friends, partners, and colleagues who have always been there for me.

Special thanks go to my mother and stepfather, for raising me until I took that responsibility upon myself. Also, to my father, who not only endowed me with a passion for exploring the issues of identity but also shares it; our years of deep conversation always ignite my thinking. To my husband Yuli, thank you for listening to all my new ideas at the weirdest times of day and night, and for loving me the way I am. To Tanya, who has been with me for more than half my life and shares much of the experience I describe in this book. To Judith, who helped me believe that Mark Twain was right when he said: They did not know it was impossible so they did it. To Shelly, who always knows the next step before I do. To Dan, who always manages to succinctly explain what I think. To Alona, for asking deep questions and making me think. And to Misha, for sharing his passion for telling the story of our people.

I would also like to thank the top-notch professionals who helped make this book a reality: Michelle for making it all come together, Chani for spending hours crafting with love, and Sam for taking it to the next level.

Preface

I woke up one morning in December 2018 with a book in my head. Throughout my entire life, until that moment, I had never thought of writing a book but I felt an urge to share a message that derives strictly from personal experience. As Guy Kawasaki says: Learning by anecdote is risky, but waiting for scientific proof is too.

My message is simple. There are many things we can do and decisions we can make that reduce fear, bring meaning, and enhance enjoyment while exploring life in our fast-changing world.

If you want to make your life better by getting fresh insight and a different perspectivethis is the book for you.

Irina Nevzlin

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Guy Kawasaki, The Art of the Start 2.0: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything , (Old Saybrook: Tantor Media, 2015).