Passing of Mikhail Chlenov

The EAJC deeply regrets to announce that today, August 7, Prof. Mikhail Chlenov passed away (26.09.1940-07.08.2024). Mika, as he was warmly called by his numerous friends, colleagues, students, and associates, represented an entire era in the history of the Jewish community of the USSR and Russia.

Mika was the driving force behind organized Jewish life following the collapse of the Soviet Union and was at the very origin of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. In recent years, he served as the Chairman of the EAJC Strategic Council. He was also a Vice-President of the World Jewish Congress and a member of the Presidium of the World Zionist Organization.

From the early 1970s, Chlenov actively participated in the independent Jewish national movement, initially in the USSR and subsequently in Russia. In 1971, he began studying Hebrew, and started teaching the language in 1972. In 1981, he established the Jewish Historical and Ethnographical Commission.

He was a distinguished Soviet and Russian ethnographer, orientalist, and public figure. Holding a PhD in Historical Sciences and the title of Professor, he authored two monographs and approximately 150 scientific publications addressing various issues in ethnographical, linguistic, and sociological disciplines.

It is difficult to encapsulate all of Mikhail Anatolyevich's achievements. This is a profound loss for the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and the global Jewish community.