Russian Culture In Haifa

In 2023, I founded Babel Haifa, a hub for art and books, alongside book designer Konstantin Kuzminsky and book editor Anna Stern. Our store has become a cultural center for the Russian-speaking community in less than a year. We are now seeking a loan to launch our online store, which will enable all citizens of Israel to access our diverse selection of books. The planned website will serve as a multifunctional cultural platform.

Micro lending, Macro Impact

We are requesting a loan to open our online store, which will enable all citizens of Israel to access our extensive selection of books. This initiative is driven by significant demand from our readers. The planned website will function as a multifunctional cultural platform.   Our store has attracted many loyal readers who appreciate our excellent range of books for children and adults in Russian, Ukrainian, and English and the engaging events we host.

My business - My spark

In 2023, I founded Babel Haifa, a hub for art and books, alongside book designer Konstantin Kuzminsky and book editor Anna Stern. Our store has become a cultural center for the Russian-speaking community in less than a year.   Thus, the store's opening was marked by an exhibition of portraits by the famous Israeli artist Anna Lukashevsky. In the last year, successful exhibitions of modern painters were held in the store on the walls of the store. Besides the extensive program of exhibitions, the store has a rich list of events: lectures, concerts, and educational series for children and adults are held almost daily.

A few more words

I'm Polina, married to Konstantin, and mother to our 5-year-old son, Uzi. We immigrated to Israel from St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2022 and live and work in Haifa.   I am a philologist and art historian with 18 years of experience in book trading and international book publishing. My roles have included museum publisher, managing editor, and editor of art books for adults and children. I have managed over 100 publishing projects for world-famous museums, producing guides and art albums. In collaboration with foreign publishers such as Rizzoli, Scala, Thames, and Hudson, I have bought and sold copyrights, participated in joint publishing efforts, and published books myself. I have also successfully launched several bookstores around the world.