Launch of Neishlos Foundation marks new generation inJewish philanthropy
Australian-Israeli entrepreneur and philanthropist, Eitan Neishlos, has launched a new philanthropic foundation, the Neishlos Foundation.
Eitan Neishlos Photo: Ziv Koren
Launched on International Holocaust Memorial Day it continuies Eitan’s work in Holocaust Education and promoting innovation with the aim of creating long-lasting social impact, the Foundation will invest in grassroots and wider partnerships to help promote Eitan’s philosophy of empowering and advancing communities. The Foundation will focus on scalable and sustainable philanthropy, utilizing the technology we have access to, and the knowhow of how to use it, to scale up philanthropic reach.
Neishlos derives his inspiration for helping others from his grandmother, Tamara Ziserman, nee Kantorovitch, who, as a child, was saved by the Chodosevitch family, a Christian family who hid her from the Nazis, who themselves were later murdered by the Nazis. He intends to use the foundation to fight for Israel, battle antisemitism, and teach the values of tolerance and understanding so that the lessons of his grandmother’s story are passed on to generations to come.
Neishlos has repeatedly proven that business, social impact and technological progress go hand in hand. This approach led him to found Neishlos Capital, through which he continues to invest in, what he terms, “fintech with a social conscience”, as well as broader interests like security and sport.
At the age of 42, the launch of the Foundation is a landmark moment in the emergence of a new generation of Jewish community figures and philanthropists taking the reins of leadership in the communal and philanthropic fields. The announcement comes on the eve of International Holocaust Memorial Day, and a week after the United Nations adopted the Israeli led resolution to promote Holocaust education – a cause to which Eitan has been particularly dedicated – and will continue to be.
Eitan has served as chairman of Courage to Care in Australia, an organization which educates young adults about tolerance, racism and the lessons of the Holocaust. Recently, he has taken on a new role as a strategic partner for the globally recognized international Holocaust remembrance and educational organisation, March of the Living. Other notable philanthropic roles include the Associate Chairman of the Liberal Friends of Israel and a director of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies. He is also a proud member of the President’s Council of the Art Gallery of NSW, a Director of the Israeli Wildlife Hospital, and a keen supporter of an array of artistic and cultural projects.
Eitan Neishlos’s personal story is one of a modern and innovative pioneering spirit. As a serial entrepreneur and forerunner in the fields of payment, Fintech, and financial inclusion, he has led the drive to see the application of new and disruptive technologies to help improve the way we do business around the world. With over 20 years of experience in Latin America, Southern Africa, Australia, and Israel, he has helped multiple companies grow and succeed, with an emphasis on the importance of social responsibility. He has brought banking to the unbanked and utilized technology to make it easier for employees to get paid in a fairer and more accessible manner.
Commenting on the establishment of the Foundation, Sydney-based Eitan Neishlos noted, “We are laying the cornerstone for a wide network of philanthropic partnerships and support. The formation of the Neishlos Foundation gives me and my team the exciting opportunity to dedicate our efforts to promote long lasting social impact for the Jewish community, as well as many other diverse projects in the fields of sport, innovation, and social activism for the sake of many more people all over the world. Crucially, I want to inspire the youth to be upstanders and not bystanders.”
The Neishlos Foundation will structure all its donations around the concept of ‘Chai,’ the Hebrew word that means “life,” which is spelled with the Hebrew letters Chet and Yud. In Jewish tradition, Chai’s numeric value is 18. The Neishlos Foundation has therefore selected 18 initial charitable pledges in a wide array of fields from arts and health to education, investing in campaigns which will help get a return of multiples of Chai.
“We think that as a collective, we can achieve a lot, and we really proved it with the JNFuture model. Chai can mean different meanings for different people. It could mean 1,000 people giving $18 a month or a million people giving $18 a year. It could also mean that someone gives a portion of their time to an organization. It means different things to different views.”
Neishlos added, “We look to move beyond the traditional model of philanthropy and use the power of the collective to amplify the impact of major donations. We’re looking to work hand in hand with communities to create real, tangible change.”
For more information, visit www.neishlosfoundation.com
