The EAJC participated in the second Kyiv Jewish Forum

On September 8-9, the second Kyiv Jewish Forum took place, organized by the First Vice-President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Boris Lozhkin. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Forum was held online in partnership with The Jerusalem Post. Key speakers included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Israel Benny Gantz, Israeli Minister of Health Yuli Edelstein, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Omer Yankelevich, Israeli Minister of Higher Education and Water Resources Ze'ev Elkin, EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder, Chairman of the EAJC Board Aaron G. Frenkel, Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko, EAJC First Vice-President Emmanuil Grinshpun, EAJC Director General Dr. Haim Ben Yakov, Director of the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University Professor Simha Goldin, among others.

In his address, EAJC President M. Mirilashvili thanked Boris Lozhkin for the successful organization of the event and emphasized the critical importance of philanthropic activities and support for communities during the pandemic.

"Despite the pandemic, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress maintains regular contact with all communities. In these challenging times, our primary task is to support various vital projects, and we remain committed to providing this assistance despite the ongoing health crisis.

Today, the Forum has brought together outstanding philanthropists from around the world. These are individuals who not only contribute personally wherever possible but also encourage others to participate in charitable initiatives," stated Michael Mirilashvili.

As part of the Kyiv Jewish Forum, EAJC Director General Dr. Haim Ben Yakov presented a comprehensive study conducted by the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAJS), operating under the auspices of the EAJC: "Jewish Identity in the Former USSR: Current State and Challenges."

The presentation was followed by a round-table discussion, in which the findings were analyzed by Professor Ze'ev Khanin, Chairman of the Academic Council of the IEAJS and lecturer in political science and sociology of contemporary Jewish communities at Ariel and Bar-Ilan Universities.

"This year, the coronavirus pandemic has presented us all, and global Jewish organizations in particular, with severe challenges, requiring robust, thoughtful, and profound solutions. The institute established under our Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is dedicated specifically to these issues, with the aim of providing leaders of international Jewish organizations with viable solutions and analytical insights into the current state of the Jewish world.

Among our key findings, I would like to emphasize today that Jewish communities serve as the primary vehicle for sustaining and developing Jewish life in post-Soviet countries.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is committed to further supporting and developing Jewish life in the Euro-Asian region, and to defending the rights and legitimate interests of Jewish public organizations before state authorities and international bodies.

Based on our data analysis, we advise the region's Jewish leaders and communities to focus significantly on expanding online initiatives and targeted programs for youth and middle-aged demographics, who have regrettably been largely overlooked by Jewish organizations. We also wish to highlight the importance of Jewish education in shaping Jewish identity and engaging unaffiliated but community-interested Jewish individuals and their families, including Israeli citizens residing abroad," stated Dr. Haim Ben Yakov.

All sessions of the Forum can be accessed on the YouTube channel of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine.