A heart of fire: Olessia Kantor’s journey from struggle to leadership

As the world grapples with challenges that test the strength of its leaders, the 2024 Jerusalem Post Miami Conference will spotlight voices shaping tomorrow’s Jewish leadership. Among the most inspiring is Olessia Kantor, who exemplifies the courage needed to forge a brighter future.

Her life’s journey – from escaping an abusive marriage in Israel to becoming a force of philanthropic leadership – is a testament to the power of the human spirit. Kantors’s life dramatically changed when she emigrated from the Soviet Union to Israel 30 years ago with her then husband. The transition was anything but smooth.

“I fell in love with Israel instantly,” she recalls, “but my husband did not share my enthusiasm. He got depressed. He couldn’t accept the realities of Israel. He didn’t like the sounds of the Hebrew language.”The disconnect grew, eventually leading to an outburst of violence that changed Kantor’s life forever. “The fact that I was holding my eight-month-old baby in my arms didn’t stop him.... It was so scary, that I just ran away.”

Her immediate escape offered no reprieve. She spoke no Hebrew, had no friends in Israel, no money, and didn’t know what to do. She realized that her husband had emptied their joint bank account, leaving her penniless.“I tried to buy baby formula, but my credit card was not working,” she says. “When I called the bank and they told me what my husband did, I was in shock. Leaving me penniless was as devastating as the physical violence. I had nothing.”

This harrowing experience marked the beginning of Kantor’s transformation. Two police officers who found her crying on the street took her to a shelter for battered women. “I spent one year in the shelter,” she says. “I had to rebuild my life from scratch.”

In the shelter, she connected with women from diverse backgrounds – Jews, Arabs, Ethiopian Israelis – religious and secular. Despite their differences, the women bonded over their shared struggles.“We all were together because we had a common enemy,” she explains – “violence.” This solidarity inspired Kantor to promise: “When I have the means and the opportunity, I will try to return to Israeli society the kindness, the support, and the attention it gave me.”

With a renewed sense of purpose, she began working tirelessly to rebuild her life, taking on jobs ranging from cleaning houses to delivering newspapers. She immersed herself in the culture of Israel and learned the language. “It was important for me to become a real member of Israeli society,” she says.

Her philanthropic journey began more than a decade ago when she established her own foundation. Initially, her projects focused on shelters for battered women and supporting children and women determined to start anew. “I supported the restoration project in Israel’s Antiquities Authority,” she says, “because I believed in preserving Israel’s cultural heritage. “It was very important for me to work with Israel’s Antiquities Authority... to unearth Israeli and Jewish culture.”

October 7, 2023, brought a shift in her philanthropic focus. The devastating attack on Israel drove Kantor to redirect her resources toward recovery efforts. She established a new foundation, Lev Esh (Heart of Fire), to address the needs of victims, starting with survivors of the Supernova music festival.

“I met a girl who was the only survivor among her friends,” she recounts. “Every time you listen to a story like that, your heart breaks to pieces.” Through her work with Lev Esh, Kantor began meeting soldiers and their families, learning firsthand about the profound physical and psychological scars left by the war.

“The country was not prepared for such scale of trauma,” she explains, describing the overwhelming demand for therapists and psychological support. This drove her to expand her foundation’s scope to help wounded soldiers and their families.

Her admiration for Israeli soldiers is palpable. “They became, for me, a symbol of spiritual force and resilience,” she says. Despite their wounds, she notes, “they said to me, one after another, ‘We would do it all over again, even if we knew we’d lose our arms, legs, or vision.’”

Kantor’s work is not only about addressing immediate needs but also about fostering unity and hope among Israel’s diverse population. She describes a poignant scene in a rehabilitation facility: “There was a soldier from Ukraine, completely secular, and another who was half-Moroccan, half-Belgian, and religious. They didn’t know each other before the war, but now they’re inseparable.”

For her, moments like these symbolize Israel’s strength and the hope for its future.As she prepares to speak at the 2024 Jerusalem Post Miami Conference on December 9-10, Kantor reflects on the role of philanthropy in shaping tomorrow’s Jewish leadership. “Now is the moment when you ask yourself not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” she says, echoing John F. Kennedy’s famous words.

Her message to the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora is one of hope and responsibility. The community’s challenges require unity and determination, qualities Kantor embodies in her work. “These heroes are taking responsibility for their future into their own hands,” she says of the young soldiers. “This is my country, and I would do it again whatever the price.”

Olessia Kantor’s journey is a reminder that authentic leadership arises not from privilege but from determination and perseverance. Her commitment to giving back to society and inspiring others to do the same ensures that the future of Jewish leadership will be built on the values of resilience, compassion, and unity.

At the 2024 Jerusalem Post Miami Conference, her message will undoubtedly serve as a beacon for the leaders of tomorrow.