Double Chai Society looking for young leaders

Top row (left to right): Steve Shalansky and Jeffrey Isaacs. Bottom row (left to right): Bethany Sutton and Susan Gertsacov. Not pictured: Emily Shalansky and David Soforenko /PHOTO | JEWISH ALLIANCE

Everywhere you look, you see an article or a blog post about the millennial generation. All of the focus is on those people who are in college or just leaving college. The pressure is on them because they are our future.

But what about Generation X? What about the people between the millennials and the baby boomers? What is their impact on our communities? The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island recognizes their impact and is determined to do something with it.

The Rhode Island Jewish community is aging; that’s a fact. But demographics show that young Jewish professionals and families are slowly but steadily moving to Rhode Island. So, why are they not engaged in their Jewish heritage? In the past year, new initiatives like (401)j have allowed a young Jewish community to emerge and engage with the rest of the community. To this end, the Jewish Alliance has launched the Double Chai Society.

The Double Chai Society is a new initiative that will engage young, Jewish leaders between 30 and 50 years old and will allow them to become more invested in the Alliance and in the community. The Double Chai Society, donors who give at least $360 to the Alliance Annual Campaign, will focus on engaging and expanding community connections with an emphasis on philanthropy and education about the Jewish community. Steve and Emily Shalansky are at the helm of this initiative and have formed a steering committee of Susan Gertsacov, David Soforenko, Bethany Sutton and Jeffrey Isaacs. The Double Chai Society will ensure the continuity of our Jewish leaders and our Jewish future. The goal is to help our commonly overlooked demographic fall back in love with the mission of the Alliance and what it can offer them and their families. 

“We are all excited that the Alliance is again focusing on this tremendously gifted but often underutilized community asset. The vision is to connect to disconnected Gen Xers or engage with the past constituents we believe are looking to re-engage with us,” said David Soforenko. Fellow Double Chai Society committee member, Susan Gertsacov, agrees with Soforenko. “I am excited to be a part of the Double Chai Society.  I can’t wait to work with everyone to make this community more vibrant now and in the future,” she said.

Come join the Double Chai Society at their first event on May 7 for a Double Chai cocktail party.

For more information, contact Hillary Schulman at hschulman@jewishallianceri.org or Erin Moseley at emoseley@jewishallianceri.org.

Hillary Schulman is the development associate in philanthropy at the Jewish Alliance.