Olessia Kantor

Biography

Before politics

Journalist in Russia on Channel One (from 1991); immigrated to Israel in 1995; moved into jewelry and appraisal in 1999 and studied diamond appraisal at the Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan; moved to New York in 2011 and received an international certificate in fine art appraisal from NYU; worked as a guide at the Metropolitan Museum and in private sales at Sotheby's; served as a conservation expert at the Vatican Museums and curated the first Jewish exhibition there (2017)

Milestones

Chosen by the Jerusalem Post magazine for its list of the 50 most influential Jews in the world (2024); established the "Lev Esh" project, which provides free individual and group therapy to October 7 survivors; founded a philanthropic fund that helps women and children leaving cycles of violence