The EAJC Yearbook was presented in Tel Aviv

The ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv hosted the presentation of the EAJC Yearbook "Jews of Europe and Asia: Status, Heritage, and Perspectives" for the Jewish year 5784. The volume, comprising academic and publicist essays, was prepared by the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAJS) in academic cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The event was attended by prominent scholars specializing in the history and contemporary affairs of the Jewish diaspora, sociology, political science, and Jewish studies, as well as political figures and community leaders.

Keynote presentations were delivered by Prof. Ze'ev Khanin, Academic Director of the IEAJS; Dr. Dmitry Maryasis, Israeli studies expert and economist; Anna Kliatis, philologist, literary scholar, professor at Briva Universitate, and researcher at the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Center; Maria Kaspina, ethnographer, folklorist, and specialist in Jewish folklore and ethnography; Dr. Velvl Chernin, Director of Publishing Projects at the IEAJS, poet, ethnographer, translator, literary scholar, and Yiddish language and culture instructor; and Petr Oskolkov, specialist in ethnic policy and the sociology of far-right extremism, who served as the managing editor for this volume of the EAJC Yearbook.

The event was moderated by the Director General of the EAJC, Dr. Haim Ben Yakov.

Access the presentations playlist

Opening the event, the Director General of the EAJC briefed the audience on the history of the Congress and the vision behind the Yearbook. He noted that the current volume was published in academic cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is dedicated to the memory of the founder and first president of the Congress, Professor Mikhail Chlenov (26.09.1940-07.08.2024).

Dr. Ben Yakov also pointed out that while Prof. Khanin traditionally edited the volume, the editorial responsibilities for this issue were designated to Petr Oskolkov. Through this decision, the leadership of the Congress emphasizes the necessity of integrating the influx of newly arrived immigrant scholars into the Israeli academic environment. "We are striving to make our modest contribution to this process," the EAJC Director General stated. "I hope this serves as a call to engage many young researchers, integrate them into academia, and involve them in studying contemporary issues, documenting trends, and developing concepts."

Member of Knesset Tatyana Mazarsky ("Yesh Atid") noted in her address that she attended the event not only as a parliamentary representative but also as a historian. She shared that during her university years, she extensively studied the research of Mikhail Chlenov. According to Mazarsky, the work of the Congress in the scholastic study of the past and present of the global Jewish diaspora is crucial in light of the turbulent events of recent years. "The more we know and value history, the better equipped we will be to address current challenges and shape the future," she stated.

The contents of the Yearbook are available on the EAJC online library website and on the Institute's website.

Established in 2018, the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAJS) operates under the auspices of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) as a platform for academic and professional collaboration among leading experts on Jewish communities in the post-Soviet space, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, as well as Western, Central, and Eastern Asia.