Solidarity with Jewish people
in Belarus
About Us
Board of Directors
Until the outbreak of the corona pandemic, the most important part of the work of the Executive Board was the four days in Belarus: Once a year, the President and one or two Executive Board members traveled to Minsk. There they discussed the selected aid projects with the local contact persons responsible. Patients, project participants and a different small community visited each year.
At the moment, the Board of Directors is in close contact with their partner organizations via video conferences, as it is currently not possible to travel to Minsk in person. The fact that two women on the board speak Russian is very helpful for our work.
​
There are currently four women on the board:
Yvonne Bollag
Yvonne has been ajs's President since 2008. She monitors the finances and coordinates the various contacts in Belarus. Outside of the ajs, Yvonne works in education as a primary school teacher.
Rivka C. Lang
takes care of the administration of the association. Rivka Lang is a retired HR specialist, but still works part-time in the HR of a non-profit organization.
Chana Baumel
Chana is the wife of the current Rabbi of the Israelite Community in Basel. She earned a diploma in Jewish Studies and teaches children and adults various Jewish topics. Chana speaks fluent Russian, which is of great benefit to our work.
Olga Osadtschy
is a media and cultural historian specializing in the field of visual history. Born in Ukraine, she studied in Weimar and Berlin, among other places, and was a scholarship holder of the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk (ELES), the gifted scholarship organization of the Jewish community in Germany. She is currently working as an assistant curator to the directorate at the Kunstmuseum Basel. She has been a member of the ajs board since December 2022.
The Board of Directors meets at least five times a year and is in close contact in between these meetins. They work on a voluntary basis.
​
​