Meet Eitan Neishlos: The next generation of Jewish leadership

• Author: ALAN ROSENBAUM
• Published date: 07 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The 42-year-old Australian corporate attorney, fintech expert and business entrepreneur is currently in Israel, the land of his birth, for an extended period, and will be dividing his time between Israel and Australia. At next week's Jerusalem Post Annual Conference, Neishlos will present a special Ted Talk on the world of fintech, and the new young Jewish philanthropy, together with Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman and former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a session about the financial and economic world.

Recently, he spoke with the Post about what fuels his desire to help Israel and the Jewish people.

cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });

>

Neishlos, who has been actively involved in the Australian Jewish community, serving as a deputy and executive on the board of the Jewish Board of Deputies, traces his passion for helping others to his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, who was saved by a righteous Christian family who hid her from the Nazis. Neishlos's grandmother never forgot the heroism of the Chodosevitch family and ensured that Yad Vashem enshrined their name as part of the Righteous Among the Nations.

"My grandmother's story," says Neishlos,"inspired me to get involved in giving back and asking young adults around the world to be like my grandmother and like the Chodosevitch family, to stand up against prejudice and racism – to be tolerant and reinforce a connection to the State of Israel. These are all things that come from my late grandmother's story. Part of her strong connection to Israel was making sure Yad Vashem recognized the Chodosevitch family."

Neishlos became a major supporter of JNFuture in Australia, which empowers young adults committed to Zionism, environmentalism, volunteerism and community development for the Land of Israel. He worked with the organization's Ach Gadol (Big Brother) program, which supports lone soldiers in the IDF. Recalling his remarks at a JNFuture program, Neishlos says, "I told the young adults about the concept of the nation of Israel. It is not just the State of Israel. It is the nation of Israel wherever we are – and the soldiers in Israel are protecting our backs. The question is – what are we doing in return to protect our soldiers? Neishlos, who matched every dollar raised at the event, says the event illustrated the power of group giving.

"There is power in collective philanthropy," he notes.

A...