Candidates of the American Forum for the World Zionist Congress elections Gregori Davidzon: “We have a guilt complex before Israel”

Businessman, mathematician, researcher, political technologist, radio host

Study, work

I usually answer a request to tell about myself: I was born, studied, studied, studied again, got married, had two children, immigrated in 1990, I work. And if more ...
He was born in Tashkent, where his mother remained after the evacuation, and his father worked in the exploration party. Most of their relatives died in the first days of the war: mothers - in Bessarabia, father - in Ukraine.
In the third grade I argued with my sister that I would finish school with a gold medal. What to do? Win the argument! Apparently, my passion for building long-term plans was already apparent.
After graduating from a technical university in Tashkent, he entered the Humanities Institute of Foreign Languages, but soon went to Moscow, where he wrote a dissertation on mathematical methods of medical imaging at the Oncology Center at Blokhin and then at the Institute of Thoracic Surgery at Petrovsky. My first meeting with America happened there: equipment and computers were entirely American.
They did not interfere with work - perestroika began, although there were some unpleasant moments. Once I sent my article to an international forum in England, and the answer came from the KGB ...
I tried many different things. In the Soviet Union, he worked in science, medicine, and was associated with languages. In America, he worked for the first eight years at Baruch College - in the academic environment he was engaged in information technology, collaborated with the development team of the first non-army Internet together with programmers from the City University of New York (CUNY) and from Yale University.
My first business concerned the creation of Internet sites. I started to study them when almost no one heard the words “Internet”. Then began a business associated with telephony - with phone cards. And it began, like everything in life, quite by accident. I met a friend at Brighton a year before the Atlanta Olympics. He said that he had received the right to sell vouchers for the Olympics to Russia, but there were not enough phone cards in the tour packages. “Do you know anything about this?” He asked. I promised tomorrow to find out everything.
My partner Sam Katsman and I (by the way, we are still together, 20 for years) studied the subject, realized that this business has a certain niche, and began to buy someone else's service, and then put their own equipment. To this day it is one of our largest enterprises.
I tried myself in politics - once I even ran for office. Not really, really, successfully, he did not win the election, but he managed to do quite a lot for the 10-day campaign: he received more than 1,500 votes, people wrote me on the ballots. And this, by the way, is one of the most serious results in the history of the “write-in” of the city of New York. I am very grateful to the people for their kind attitude towards me and the radio station.

Business

About the radio station - a separate story.

My daughter sings. I hope to succeed on the opera stage. In 2004, my partner called me and told me that 620 AM radio had announced a talent contest and advised me to find out if my daughter could perform. I called, brought my daughter, she went to the studio, and I went to the owners of the radio station, offered them barter: they advertised my phone card, and I provided them with a telephone vote for it. And two years later, when they went out of business, I picked it up ...
What for? I saw in the radio an effective business support tool: advertising cards on the radio showed itself well. I understood that the media in an ethnic niche is an unreliable thing, and in some ways, perhaps even dangerous. And I chose for myself a diversified business model. He did not strive to grow a giant who brought in big profits, which in the event of a collapse would pull him along. And I decided to decompose the eggs in a variety of baskets and collect a small profit from each. If one of these enterprises turns out to be unprofitable, I close it without large losses. So I got: ambulance, phone cards, restaurant, tourism, Only You club, theater box office, show business, web design studio, newspaper. The radio station lives on funds from outdoor advertising, providing information and advertising support to all these enterprises. And if the money of other advertisers for the life of the radio station is not enough, they connect with their own - these companies are gradually sponsoring the radio. This business model seems to be a consequence of my character. After all, I have been doing a lot in my life ...
Here I am still the author of the program. I think I have something to say. And besides, there are many people with whom it is interesting to talk, but it is possible to meet only on the air. I will not call, for example, Khodorkovsky, just to chat, it’s not necessary for him or me, but to invite the questions on the air and ask the listeners that concern me and the radio listeners completely. The radio station has a good reputation, so almost no one denies us an interview. Regular broadcasting is a kind of incentive to think, to search for an interesting interlocutor and a sharp topic.
I've been interviewing for ten years now, and I like it. Although my interviews are, rather, conversations that give an opportunity to express oneself, express one's opinion, share one's feelings and doubts — what is called “stretch”, speak some things. This opportunity was especially important for me when we supported Georgia, and it is important today when we openly support Ukraine. Although I am madly in love with Russia, a country where I lived for a long time, I love its people. And I stop anyone who allows himself to speak ill of Russia with me. You can say anything about the leaders of the country, but not about the people.
I like to communicate with our audience. I have always said that we have the smartest, most educated, most intelligent and, perhaps, the most intelligent audience in the world. I treat our listeners very well, who often surprise - for the most part, pleasantly surprise. Indeed, it is almost impossible to come up with a question that you will not be answered. They know everything. You lose a fragment of a melody - and they immediately call you with an exhaustive certificate about the work, the composer, the performer, and even a lot of information.
In short, I do what I like on the radio. Sometimes it works out more successfully, sometimes less - I always feel this unmistakably.

Israel

I visit Israel almost every year, sometimes twice. First of all, I like it there, familiar mass. Secondly, it is inexplicable attractiveness. And thirdly, no matter how pathetic it sounds, but there you are charged with positive energy.
In addition, I am convinced that any tourism helps the economy of Israel, and I urge everyone to take this into account when planning vacations.
I am also motivated by responsibility to this country, I have meetings there with regard to helping Israel.
There is one more important factor that opened up to me in communication with listeners in different programs of our radio. Most Russian-speaking American Jews have a guilt complex for living in America, not in Israel. People feel it very sharply. Therefore, there is a desire to help Israel to the best of its abilities and capabilities - in order to at least compensate for its absence in the country. I certainly share this sentiment. And I also clearly realize: if it were not for Israel, I would be much worse, more restless. Understanding that there is a place on earth where you will always be welcomed with open arms gives you a feeling of confidence. This is the rear insurance. If my immigration to America had failed, I would definitely not have returned to Russia ...
Somehow I was awarded, and in a word of thanks I said quite sincerely that I felt like a guest in the country in which I was born, and I feel at home in the country to which I immigrated. But this could not happen. Then there would be Israel.
But from the good of not looking for good. America is my country, New York is my city, the Russian community is my habitat. I got to the point, as they say.
Although it does not relieve the feeling of guilt. So I try to do as much as possible for Israel.

Municipality

I do not consider myself a politician. Why then, ask, ran? I wanted to try it too. I thought, what if a good people's choice comes out of me? I, rather, political consultant. In politics, I like construction, creation. Meanwhile, I don’t see any sense in creating, as they say, a new community structure for themselves.
We have one of the most loyal audiences in New York, in America, in the world. Many in the morning turn on the radio tuned to our wave, and only turn it off in the evening. This is my party.
One day a student asked me a question: in America, there are many organizations that were created over a century ago, Jewish, Christian - of all kinds. Why do we need to build something else of our own? Isn't it better to join? I objected, saying that language is not only a means of communication, but also an essential component of mentality: our consciousness comes to us along with language, culture, books, films, and so on. Therefore, our somewhat isolated position is natural.
However ... In one of the conversations with Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, he said that usually ethnic communities that arose as a result of a short-term massive influx of immigrants, assimilated relatively quickly. In this regard, given the limited periods of life of such a community as ours, it does not seem to me expedient to begin capital construction. There would be another conversation if there was a constant influx of immigrants. But immigration is declining - and the number of communities is declining. And the increase in the birth rate - English-speaking children.
And although I do not see the point in creating my own political structures, my task, for the time we are, is to make the community as visible, influential and effective as possible, but without any additional formal entities. In order to lead a community in election campaigns, formal structures are not at all mandatory.
Any person - from student to pensioner - has a voice in the election. And not to use this capital for the benefit of the community is absolutely wrong! In America, they say: the community that votes is the one that receives. After all, here a huge part of the taxpayers' money is returned to the community in the form of grants, scholarships, allowances. And for our community organizations to be among the recipients of these funds, the community must go to the polls.

Elections

The same applies to the election of delegates to the World Zionist Congress. When I ask myself what I most highly appreciate of what I have done, I answer: the election of Bob Turner to the US Congress from the 9 electoral district, including the districts of Brooklyn and Queens. For me and, I think, for the community this is one of the most serious achievements. Just think: the Republican congressman was elected in the district where the last 90 years were elected exclusively by the Democrats. And it was chosen largely due to our community! People stormed polling stations, activity was unprecedented. This became a national scale sensation, as a result of which our community grew strongly in the eyes of the Americans.
I dream together with the Russian-speaking Jews of our community to create something similar from the elections to the World Zionist Congress. This is not the excitement of the player. I am not a player and I understand well that it is impossible to constantly win, but to strive for this is necessary. This is not the game of muscles, not the desire to prove their strength, influence. Simply, if the goal is set, then it must be achieved. Otherwise, there is no need to take it.
I am a team man, I focus on achieving the goal.
I absolutely do not accept the principle of “the goal by any means”, and it doesn’t matter to me whether I achieved the result myself, in a team or under someone’s guidance.
In the election of deputies of the World Zionist Congress, I go in the same team with the American Forum in support of Israel. Otherwise, do not avoid a split of the community. And the goal will not be achieved.
We are power when we are one.

Interviewed by Naomi Zubkova