Memorial to the Righteous Among the Nations was opened in Melitopol

The opening of the Memorial to the Righteous of the Nations and the Victims of the Holocaust took place several days ago in Melitopol. Thanks to the project of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine “The Righteous people of My City” the composition “Lament for the Unborn” by sculptor Alexander Dyachenko was installed on Hetmanska Street, along which Melitopol Jews were led to execution during the years of occupation. In total, more than 14,000 peaceful residents of Melitopol were killed during the war, 12,000 of them were Jews.

 

As part of the project of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine “The Righteous People of My City”, 22 streets, 1 mini-park have already been named after the Righteous Among the Nations; 5 memorial signs have been installed in the cities and villages where people who rescued Jews lived. Now the Melitopol Memorial has been also added to this list.

The Jewish Confederation of Ukraine is led by the Vice-President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Boris Lozhkin.

Read more about the project.

Synagogue “Bet Menachem” in Tashkent will not be demolished

We were pleased to know that the “Bet Menachem” synagogue in Tashkent was saved from demolition. The private company “Absolute Business Trade”, which filed a lawsuit against the Tashkent Jewish Religious Community of European Jews, withdrew the claim for ownership of the land, which actually saved the building from demolishing. For more than two years the status of the “Bet Menachem” synagogue was in question, and finally the situation was resolved.

This story proves once again the importance of supporting Jewish communities by international organizations. Often, their involvement in a situation can positively influence both external and internal processes.

In the case of the Tashkent synagogue, we are really glad that our support, along with the support of other international organizations and local authorities, led to saving the spiritual, cultural and charitable Center so important for the Jewish community of Tashkent.

EAJC President welcomed the decision on the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates

EAJC President Dr. Michael M. Mirilashvili welcomed the decision to conclude an agreement on the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates

The conclusion of an agreement on the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is an important milestone in the history of the development of Arab-Israeli relations. It is worth noting that for a long time Israel and the AOI maintained contacts in various fields, however, due to the difficult geopolitical situation, only now, thanks to the efforts of the leaders of the countries, the normalization of bilateral relations was brought to the home stretch.

The agreement on normalization and the development of a “road map”, brokered by US President Donald Trump, opens up new bright prospects for cooperation between states and peoples. It is equally important that this agreement provides opportunities for religious and cultural dialogue, which might rebuild the relations between representatives of the Abrahamic religions. Such an approach, rooted in the desire for better mutual understanding and knowledge of each other, opens up prospects that will determine the pace of development of the entire Middle East region.

Public diplomacy plays nowadays the most important role in the interethnic dialogue. This is the path to mutually beneficial cultural, economic, scientific and social cooperation. We hope that the Jewish community of the United Arab Emirates, together with the Jewish communities of the Euro-Asian region, will be able to become a bridge between the UAE, Israel and the organized Jewish world.

The EAJC leaders welcome the agreement and are ready to contribute to the development of positive processes related to the normalization of relations between the countries. We sincerely hope that other Arab countries will also follow the path of normalization, and we will be able to see the opening ceremonies of their embassies in the Jewish state in the nearest future.

EAJC congratulates Đorđe Raičević

The leaders of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress wish the president of the Jewish Community of Montenegro Đorđe Raičević happy birthday

Dear Đorđe, 8 years ago, together with Jasha Alfandari, you revived the Jewish community and Jewish life in Montenegro, which has been successfully flourishing and developing ever since. We highly appreciate your work as the president of the Jewish community of Montenegro, and we hope that you will successfully overcome all difficulties, implement all your plans and achieve your goals.

We wish you strong health, good luck and happiness and look forward to many years of fruitful cooperation aimed at the prosperity of the Jewish nation.

EAJC General Assembly: supporting communities during a pandemic is a main priority for the Congress

On August 5th, the EAJC General Assembly – a general meeting of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress leaders was held online. The meeting was attended by the EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili,  EAJC Board Chairman Aaron G. Frenkel, EAJC General Director Dr. Haim Ben Yakov, EAJC Vice-Presidents, as well as heads of Jewish communities of the Euro-Asian region.

EAJC President M. Mirilashvili presented a report on the EAJC activities over the past year, the main directions of the Congress’s activities and a draft Resolution supporting the statement of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), published on July 7, 2020, that condemned “all attempts to rehabilitate the reputations of persons who were complicit in the crimes of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma”.

The resolution calls on the authorities of the Euro-Asian region countries to develop legislation prohibiting the rehabilitation of Nazi collaborators and silencing their actions, proposes to officially adopt the working definition of anti-Semitism formulated by the IHRA and initiate the integration of Holocaust research into state educational programs.

The resolution was unanimously adopted by the Assembly participants.

The First Vice President of the EAJC Boris Lozhkin informed the Assembly participants about the upcoming Kiev Jewish Forum, which this year will be held online, and also presented his new project of translation into Ukrainian language and promotion of selected books on the history of Israel and the Jewish people.

EAJC Board Chairman Aaron G. Frenkel, EAJC First Vice President Teimuraz Ben-Yehuda Khikhinashvili, as well as Vice Presidents Boris Spektor, David Yakobashvili and Moshe Shvets appealed to community leaders with words of support at this difficult time.

The participants of the Assembly approved the program report on the activity of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress for the year 2019, presented by the EAJC Director General Dr. Haim Ben Yakov.

“The diversity of our projects reflects the diversity and the uniqueness of Jewish life in the Euro-Asian region. During these difficult times, we continue to support educational and social programs, as well as projects aimed at countering anti-Semitism, preserving the historical heritage of the Jewish people, perpetuating the memory of the Holocaust and supporting the State of Israel”, – said the EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili.

“We call on government leaders to counter anti-Semitism, demonization of the State of Israel and rehabilitation of persons directly or indirectly involved in the murder of Jews during the Holocaust. It is unacceptable to rewrite history, silencing or belittling crimes against Jews during World War II”, – said EAJC Director General Dr. Haim Ben Yakov.

EAJC expresses condolences following the horrific explosions in Lebanon

A devastating explosions in Beirut on Tuesday killed at least 137 people and injured thousands. Hundreds of people still remain missing and about 300,000 have been displaced from their homes.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) expresses its sincere condolences following the horrific explosions in the Lebanon capital city and expresses solidarity with the people of Lebanon.

EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili said: “The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is deeply saddened by the deaths and injuries caused by the terrible explosions in Beirut. We express our deepest condolences to the people of Lebanon and especially to the families and friends of those who have been injured or lost their lives, and all of those whose homes and livelihoods have been affected. We wish speedy recovery to the injured and strength to the bereaved.”

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Leaders Wish Speedy Recovery to Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

A great friend of the EAJC, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, a famous translator of the Talmud, Israel Prize holder and a founder of the Institute for Jewish Studies, is currently struggling with a disease.

Our thoughts and prayers are now with Rabbi Adin, the son of Rivka-Leah. We would like to convey our message of support to the family of Rabbi Steinsaltz and ask all the readers, along with their families, to direct their thoughts at him and pray for him, as well as perform good deeds in his honour.

EAJC leaders wish the respected rabbi a speedy recovery!

EAJC Special Project: Zhabotinsky’s Feuilletons (1922) reissue

In August 1940, almost at the age of 60, one of the brightest Jewish political figures of the 20th century, Vladimir Zeev Zhabotinsky, passed away.

Jabotinsky devoted his life to political activity for the sake of the Zionist project and the future Jewish state.

His ideas, which had a great impact at the time, did not lose their relevance, continuing to inspire and to guide many Israeli politicians till today.

Zhabotinsky’s political and social life was tightly linked with his writing. He had an unrivaled writing talent and his literature legacy consisted of numerous letters, articles, masterpiece novels and many more.

Zhabotinsky’s talent was widely recognized by the great Russian writers, who believed that his political career was an only obstacle for him to be included in the list of classic Russian literature.

2020 is celebrated in Israel as the year of Zhabotinsky, since it’s the 140th birth anniversary and the 80th death anniversary of the prominent Zionist leader.

In this regard, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is working on the release of the famous collection of feuilletons by Zhabotinsky. Published in 1922 in Berlin, the collection has not been reprinted since then.

Almost 100 years after, we are honored to convey to the readers today timeless ideas of an outstanding visionary and one of the most influential Jewish politicians of the 20th century.

Albania Holocaust memorial honors locals who protected Jews

Photo: Israeli Ambassador in Albania, Noah Gal Gendler speaks during the inauguration of a memorial in Tirana (Xhulio Hajdari /Tirana City Hall via AP) (Associated Press).

Albania unveiled a Holocaust memorial in the capital to honor the victims and the Albanians who protected Jews from the Nazis. The Albanian Jewish Community survived the Holocaust and now is affiliated with the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

The marble memorial was put at an entrance to Tirana’s Artificial Lake Park, close to Mother Teresa Square. The inscription is written in three languages — English, Hebrew, and Albanian — and it said that “Albanians, Christians, and Muslims endangered their lives to protect and save the Jews.”

Albania is one of the few European countries in which the number of Jews increased after the end of World War II. In 1930, there were registered 204 Jews, mostly in Tirana and Vlora. In 1939, Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria, moved to Albania, later Jews who had fled from Croatia and Serbia also took refuge in Albania. 

Albanians protected their few hundred Jewish friends and helped other Jews who fled from other countries by either smuggling them abroad or hiding them at home. 

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress welcomes the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’ condemnation of rehabilitation of Nazi collaborators

Фото: International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), containing 35 member and liaison countries, issued a statement condemning “all attempts to rehabilitate the reputations of persons who were complicit in the crimes of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma.” 

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili welcomed the statement by the IHRA: “The policy of historical memory is undergoing a complicated process of formation, raising essential questions that must be answered. We are witnessing the practice of glorification of persons who had been directly or indirectly involved in the murder of Jews. They are elevated to the rank of national heroes and have become symbols of resistance. The deliberate understatement of their antisemitic ideology and practices is the rewriting of history. This type of policy is inadmissible and contrary to international standards.”

The preservation of historical memory, the prevention of Holocaust denial as well as advocating against the glorification of Nazi collaborators are among the top priorities of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. Our mission is to safeguard the historical truth and perpetuate the memory of heroes and victims.

President Mirilashvili also stressed that “a national hero embodies the national idea and serves as an indispensable basis for the formation of national identity. National leaders are responsible for making the right choice for the sake of future generations.”

Trough its Public Diplomacy program, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is working hard to promote the adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism across the countries of the Euro-Asian region. Moldova and Serbia have officially adopted this efficient approach to the task of identifying antisemitism; some other Euro-Asian states are in the process of considering this significant move. 

“Considering the rising wave of antisemitism, it is extremely important to draw attention to the formulation of relevant legislation as well as integrating Holocaust studies into state educational programs. We join forces with the IHRA to promote research, public awareness, and political responsibility around the issue of rehabilitation,” – said the CEO of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov.