From Prank Calls to Purpose with Birthright Israel

I was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and came to the U.S. when I was a year and a half old. Fresh off the boat except it was a flight with a layover in Italy and I had no say in the matter. Russian was my first language. My second language was also Russian. English eventually showed up, uninvited but necessary. When it came to Jewishness it mostly showed up at holiday dinners or the occasional trip to synagogue. We weren’t a religious household then and we’re not a religious household now. We went sometimes for Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur but no one really knew what was going on. Judaism for me meant overcooked food, loud opinions, and someone always leaving the table in tears.

I was a shy kid who loved sports. Thought maybe I’d become a lawyer or just figure things out along the way. I joined the Screen Actors Guild when I was 18 and kept hustling. Lifeguarding at the Oceana community in Brighton Beach during the day, auditioning in Midtown at night. A few years in, my friend and I started making prank calls for fun, and out of one of them came Baba Fira, a tough, loving, unfiltered Russian grandmother. That character stuck. We started filming, and suddenly this whole other side of my storytelling opened up. I transferred to Brooklyn College to study film and started writing more. I got obsessed with storytelling. Song lyrics, Tupac, old Russian sayings — it all became part of the way I made sense of growing up as a Russian-speaking Jew in Brooklyn. I wasn’t going to Jewish events. I wasn’t in that world. My friends were all Russian-speaking already. I felt like I had my culture but I didn’t have that deeper connection. In 2012 I created Baba Fira and started putting out videos. The character took off. Then in 2013 a friend told me I should go on Birthright Israel. I had heard of it before but never had the chance to go. I had just wrapped a film and finally had the time, so I said sure why not. The trip itself was beautiful. Our guide was also from Kharkiv. His name was Sergey Polyachok. People on the trip already knew me from the internet so the vibe was good. I pranked Sergey by stealing the zip-off part of his pants. We laughed, we bonded, we hiked. But then I got really sick. Ended up in an Israeli hospital with gastritis. Missed Masada. Missed Yad Vashem. Felt like I was missing the magic. At the time I thought I blew it. But here’s the thing. Birthright Israel hits you later. I’ve made lifelong friends on these trips, not just with participants but with people who’ve become family. I’ve been a groomsman in weddings of former participants and have watched seven couples meet and get married after connecting on our buses. Sasha Zoiref, our tour educator, is not only a brilliant teacher and speaker but someone I now call my best friend. Watching how much the participants love him, his humor, the way he shares his knowledge, the way people listen when he speaks, makes me emotional every time. And then there’s Ali, our legendary bus driver. When I first met Ali, I thought, when do you ever hear of a bus driver joining in on the fun activities and sessions with the group? He brings us fresh pastries from his local bakery, treats everyone like family and should consider being a DJ, always having the best mixes for us. He goes above and beyond in every way. You can see a photo of Sasha, Ali, and me together above. There’s no better feeling than landing in Israel and knowing I’ve brought my Poopsiki from North America into the best hands possible.

In 2021 the funding dropped for a trip I had recruited. I had two full buses, eighty young adults, and suddenly there was no trip to send them on. Just like that, it was gone. I couldn’t let that happen. I got on the phone, told my story, and somehow ended up raising nearly half a million dollars to get our community back to Israel. Birthright Israel gave me roots. Before that, I was drifting. Now I feel grounded. I don’t live in Israel but I know it’s mine. And for a kid from South Brooklyn with a cranky Russian grandma character and a camera, that means everything. I’m beyond grateful to be selected as one of Birthright Israel’s 25 alumni honorees. It’s beautiful to be recognized, but at the end of the day, I’m still out here organizing and bringing together young adults who come from former Soviet Union households. We are not the same and that’s what I love most about the discovery that happens on Birthright Israel. There are so many different kinds of Jews. When our parents had their identities taken from them, it affected us too. But now, our generation is slowly giving our parents the gift of knowing who we are. I’ve achieved a lot in my life and I’ll keep going, but one thing I’m truly proud of is being part of the Birthright Israel family and being part of a loud, loving, unstoppable crew of immigrant Jews from the former Soviet Union. It’s where my passion and purpose come together.