What happened on 17th of Tammuz and 9th of Av and why do we still remember it as a nation?
From 17th of Tammuz to 9th of Av
EAJC congratulates the President of Kazakhstan on his 80th anniversary
The EAJC CEO, Dr. Haim Ben-Yaakov presented the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress at the roundtable by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The event was also attended by former Israeli prime-ministers, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, ambassadors of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and other officials.
Dr. Haim Ben-Yaakov read out the congratulations of the EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, which, among other things, states:
“I am glad and proud that Kazakhstan and Israel are confidently advancing along the path of mutually beneficial cooperation, and make personal efforts so that Israeli technological achievements, in particular in the field of providing the population with clean drinking water, come to Kazakhstan and serve its people.
We at the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress are grateful to the First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, for his tireless support of the Jewish community of Kazakhstan and the contribution he makes to strengthening the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Israel.”
Dr. Haim Ben-Yaakov told the honored guests about a large-scale sociological study of the Jewish population conducted by the EAJC in early 2020 in the countries of the former Soviet Union, including Kazakhstan.
“According to the study results, the vast majority of respondents combine Jewish identity with patriotic feelings towards Kazakhstan, their country of residence. The respondents also had not submitted any evidence to demonstrate the existence of the problem of antisemitism in Kazakhstan”, said Dr. Haim Ben-Yaakov.
Seventy years ago, on July 5, 1950, the Israeli Knesset passed the Law of Return
Seventy years ago, on July 5, 1950, the Israeli Knesset passed the Law of Return, which expressed the centuries-old desire of the Jewish people to return to Eretz Yisrael and determined who has the right to repatriation to Israel.
Holocaust survivors met students online
The online meeting with former prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps was attended by students and youth from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yakutsk, and other Russian cities.
It was the fifth meeting in the framework of a joint project of the All-Russian Union of Jewish Students (RUJS) and the Moscow Public Organization of Jews – former prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps (MOOU-UGiK), organized with the support of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. This time, in connection with the current epidemiological situation, the meeting was held online.
The childhood of these people is inseparably linked with the history of the Holocaust, only by a miracle could they survive the horrible tragedy of the Jewish people. Oleg Mortkovich, Ilya Schwartz, Boris Srebnik, Ida Spektor, and Zinovy Rotenberg shared with participants their amazing personal stories.
The preservation of historical memory and the prevention of Holocaust denial belong to the priorities of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. We are grateful to the Holocaust survivors for taking the time and mental strength to meet with the young and share the tragic stories of those terrible days, passing on their memory to future generations.
EAJC Chairman, Aaron G. Frenkel, helped Israeli coronavirus victims
Chairman of the Board of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Aaron G. Frenkel contributed five cargo aircraft full of medical equipment and 14 million shekels to the fight against COVID-19 through the largest Israeli voluntary organization, Yad Sarah.
Mr. Frenkel has also matched all donations to the organization to bring life-saving respiratory equipment to Israel.
“In my life, I have learned that our tests in life are not when things are good. It is when things are bad – when people need you. When a disaster is coming, that is when you are tested,” said Aaron G. Frenkel.
Yad Sarah, the largest national volunteer organization in Israel, with seven thousand volunteers and more than 115 branches nationwide, has embarked on a lightning campaign to bring thousands of respirators and oxygen generators to Israel.
Mr. Frenkel, a long-time supporter of Yad Sarah, considers the organization uniquely suited to deal with this type of medical emergency: Yad Sarah’s existing network of contacts with its suppliers enables it to receive the necessary equipment.
EAJC congratulates Alexander Bilinkis
Euro-Asian Jewish Congress wishes Happy Birthday to the EAJC Vice President, Alexander Bilinkis.
Dear Alexander, we highly appreciate our fruitful cooperation, and it is hard to overestimate your long-term activities for the benefit of the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova.
Today, you receive congratulations from the people in whose fate you played and continue to play an important role. We proudly and joyfully join the wishes of good health, good luck, and continued success in all your endeavors.
We are confident that together we can overcome all difficulties and continue our joint activities aimed at the prosperity of the Jewish people.
EAJC Central Asia Office continues programs through online
Most of the programs and activities of the EAJC office in Central Asia (Mitsva Association) have switched to the online format, which has significantly expanded their audience.
The online platform of the Rimon Jewish community center in Almaty offers 16 volunteer projects for different generations. The online Rimon Mini-Club offers lessons for preschool children. Young community activists, young families, and older people take part in psychological training, intellectual games, discussion platforms, needlework and culinary classes.
Future youth leaders from the School of Madrichim have begun creating projects on the Jewish Ashkenazi culture. They will develop and defend a learning course designed for classes, training, and seminars at the Rimon community center.
Participants of the online Theater on Wheels acting studio are already working on a mini-performance dedicated to the Rosh Hashanah.
The Jewish community of Kazakhstan took part in the global Shabbat, which brought together 500 people from 90 cities of the CIS and the State of Israel.
Participants in a culinary master class dedicated to Shavuot prepared milk chocolate pudding, a traditional dish of the European Jewish communities.
The contribution of the evacuated intellectuals to the development of Kazakhstan’s culture became the topic of the Tenth International Historical scientific and practical conference “Evacuation to Kazakhstan” to be held in Almaty on September 23, 2020, under the auspices of the Mitsva Association, the Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, and Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.
EAJC President congratulates new Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Israel
The President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, congratulated the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Israel, Feruza Makhmudova, on the occasion of her appointment to this honorary position.
“Dear Madam Ambassador, please accept my heartfelt congratulations on your appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Israel. Your assumption of office will give a new impetus to mutually beneficial dialogue and will contribute to the development and deepening of friendly relations between the two countries.
I take this opportunity to assure you of the unconditional commitment of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress to a friendly dialogue between the Uzbek and Jewish peoples. I sincerely hope that our friendship will continue to develop, providing new fruitful opportunities and uniting people.”
Israeli expert spoke about palliative care during coronavirus pandemic
Representation of the EAJC in Russia in cooperation with the Israeli-Russian Business Council, the All-Russian Union of Jewish Students (RUJS), and Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University organized an online meeting “Palliative care in the era of the coronavirus: the Israeli experience”, with Israeli medical expert, Claudia Conson.
Claudia Conson is a prominent Israeli palliative care expert, healthcare management specialist, member of the British Geriatric Society, head of the geriatric center for long-term hospitalization of chronic patients in Israel, author of scientific articles and publications in Israeli and international press. Claudia Conson also actively collaborates with the Moscow Department of Health.
220 medical professionals as well as students and youth from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other cities attended the online meeting.
During the meeting, Claudia Conson drew attention to various aspects and features of palliative care, taking into account the complicated epidemiological situation caused by COVID-19.
In particular, Claudia talked about working with dying patients during a pandemic, highlighted the ethical dilemmas associated with coronavirus and old age, spoke about staff support during a pandemic, shared Israeli approaches to working in a pandemic situation, and also touched on the relationship between medical and social assistance in conditions of coronavirus disease. Besides, Claudia Conson answered in detail many questions from the participants.
We thank Mrs. Conson for a fascinating and useful meeting, and we also thank all the participants as well as our partners who helped to organize the event.
Darkeinu Olympics gathered 2,500 young connoisseurs of Jewish tradition
Over the school year, more than 2,500 Jewish kids aged 5 to 18 years participated in the Darkeinu Olympics 5780, the largest international competition on Jewish knowledge in Russian.
Pupils of Jewish schools and kindergartens, participants of Jewish educational projects from 52 cities and 9 countries were competing for winning the Darkeinu Olympics 5780. The geography of the 2019-2020 competition has expanded considerably, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
“We at the EAJC are sincerely glad that the restrictions associated with the spread of coronavirus did not prevent the organizers of the Darkeinu Olympics from gathering young Jewish tradition experts from different countries,” said the Director General of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov.
For the seventh time in a row, the Darkeinu educational project holds a traditional annual competition among young connoisseurs of Jewish heritage. Over the seven-year history of the project, thousands of students of Jewish schools in the post-Soviet countries were able to demonstrate knowledge of Jewish history and tradition as well as make new friends.
For the second year in a row, the Darkeinu Kids Olympics attracts Jewish kids aged 5-7. More than 12,000 young children from Riga to Khabarovsk participated in the competition since its launch.
The Darkeinu Olympics is one of the flagman directions of the Darkeinu educational center and a unique project in the field of Jewish education for children of all ages, operating in the countries of the former USSR.