The EAJC expresses its condolences on the passing of Mikhail Rositsian

The leadership of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress mourns the passing of the prominent entrepreneur, public figure, and philanthropist Mikhail Rositsian at the age of 67.

This is an irreparable loss for the Jewish community of Lithuania and the entire Euro-Asian region. Mikhail Rositsian was one of the community's most distinguished leaders. Having laid the organizational foundation for the Maccabi sports movement, he dedicated his life to the promotion of Jewish culture and sports in the region.

The EAJC President, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, has extended his condolences to the Jewish community of Lithuania, as well as to the family of Mikhail Rositsian.

“Throughout his life, which was filled with historic events and significant achievements, he spearheaded numerous initiatives dedicated to promoting Jewish culture and identity worldwide. Through his actions, he inspired many, enabling them to realize their potential and shape the world around them,” he noted in his address.

Mikhail Rositsian was born in Belarus in 1955 and studied in Vilnius, Lithuania. At the first Congress of the All-Union Society of Aesthetics and Physical Culture "Maccabi" in Leningrad in 1989, he was elected president. In July 1989, he sponsored the Lithuanian SSR Maccabi team at the 13th World Maccabiah Games in Israel.

In 1990, he chaired the organizing committee for the First International Maccabi Hanukkah Festival of the USSR in Vilnius. In August 1992, the second assembly of the USSR Maccabi Congress took place in Moscow, where the organization was renamed FEAC, and Rositsian was re-elected co-president of the Federation of Euro-Asian Maccabi Clubs. In 1993, he led a delegation of 135 athletes representing the FEAC Maccabi team at the 14th World Maccabiah Games in Israel.

From 1999, Mikhail Rositsian served as co-president of the Union of Maccabi Clubs of the CIS and Baltic States. In February 2014, with his support, the Maccabi sports club was revived in Lithuania under the auspices of the National Olympic Committee.