The young, anxious Rabbi Shimon Margolin looked as if he had a new Russian empire on his hands on Monday night.
Rallying for his Techiah Foundation, which extends cultural and social services to ex-Soviet Jews, some 300 emigres gathered at San Francisco’s Theatre on the Square.
They were bedecked in their finest — dark suits, colorful dresses, silk embroidered blouses and plenty of jewelry. They were attorneys, high-tech consultants, CPAs and real estate agents. They spoke Russian only.
A proud Margolin described them as “the emigre elite.”
Ostensibly, they were gathered to view the paintings of Los Angeles emigre Zinovy Shersher and hear him sing Sinatra-style in Russian. But Margolin, 26, said the real reason most came was to demonstrate their numbers and their success.
Margolin hoped they also came to demonstrate their Judaism.
“The Jewish community here helped Russians come to America so they could benefit materially but also so they can learn about the Jewish tradition and lifestyle,” said Margolin, who juggled introductions, decorated food platters and emceed the show. “We want to get them to give back to the community that brought them here, to turn them from receivers to givers.”
Since coming to the United States from a small town in Ukraine 4-1/2 years ago, Margolin has worked for large emigre-led agencies in New York and Los Angeles. He came here a year ago.
Margolin said the Bay Area’s emigre community — which numbers nearly 40,000 and is the fourth largest in the country — is poorly organized socially and politically.
“That will change,” Margolin promised. He’s already turning heads with the year-old Techiah Foundation. Mayor Willie Brown’s office named Monday “Russian Jewish Community Renaissance Day.”
City Supervisor Mark Leno came to congratulate the Techiah Foundation. He also couldn’t resist revealing that he, too, has Russian blood. “My grandparents’ name is Wicknovich,” Leno said. “All [four] of them are Russian-born.”
Rabbi Yosef Langer, head of Chabad House of S.F., also came to offer his support. Langer had connected Margolin with Jonathan and Hillary Reinis, managers of the theater, who allowed free use of the stage that night.
Russian media from the United States attended. Israel Gold, publisher of the Los Angeles-based Russian monthly newspaper We and America shook hands and made rounds. WMNB, the only Russian television network in the United States, taped the event for later broadcast. Entertainer Shersher, who emigrated 18 years ago, knew the performance would eventually make it to Moscow, his former home.
“The Russian Minister of Culture once thanked me for bringing our culture abroad,” Shersher said. “We’re doing more out here to keep Russian culture alive. But it is hard to be united in migration. This brings us together.”
With help from 15 local emigre sponsors, Margolin estimated Techiah pulled in $3,000.
For Margolin, however, the evening wasn’t exactly a fund-raiser. “It was a people-generator. We want to get as much people involved,” he said.
“We are saying `We’re here to stay and we’re going to do so many things together.'”
Since Manny Kagan came to San Francisco 18 years ago, the Russian-born financial consultant said he had never seen so many prominent emigres together in one room.
“People are here not only to develop new social relations with each other, but to unite and demonstrate their desire to fill in their missing Jewish education,” said Kagan.
Margolin admitted he never thought so many would come so quickly.
As he stood to the side of the theater during the performance, a huge smile across his face, Margolin panned his hands across the audience and said, “No one believed I could find anyone for this.
“They told me I needed the help of American Jews. Today’s event shows that when you do something sincere, people respond.”