Holocaust survivor Oleg Mortkovich met with Jewish youth in Baku

A meeting of the Holocaust survivor Oleg Mortkovich with schoolchildren at the Baku Jewish school has been organized by the Jewish community of Baku, on the initiative of the EAJC Regional Office for Russia.

The head of the Moscow Public Organization of Jewish former prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps, Oleg Mortkovich shared the story of his childhood during the Holocaust.

His parents died in the Vinnytsia region in 1943, and during the years of the fascist occupation, he was hidden in a cellar by Natalya Bondar who was later recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations. Oleg Mortkovich is one of the three residents of the village of Dashev who survived the Holocaust.

For many years Oleg Mortkovich leads the International Public Organization of Jews, former juvenile prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps. Being an EAJC member, this important organization unites and supports the Holocaust survivors. Meetings of organization’s members with Jewish youth are aimed at preserving the historical memory of the Holocaust – an important area of activity of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

We are grateful to the Chabad-or-Avner school director, Efim Leznik, and the deputy chairman of the Baku Religious Community of European Jews, Eugene Brenneisen, for organizing the meeting.

800 Birthright Israel participants spent a unique day in the Negev desert

The Taglit in the Flourishing Desert event, attended by 800 Birthright Israel participants from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Azerbaijan descended upon the area in the western Negev region, for a day of activities to show the long-standing support of the organization for the residents and businesses of the areas surrounding Gaza. The event that is part of a 10-day trip to Israel also served to connect Russian-speaking participants with one another, with their personal Jewish identity, and with Israel and Israelis.

During the day participants toured the area and familiarized themselves with the communities, people, cuisine and culture. Activities included educational activities and workshops, including local food tasting, creative and graffiti workshops, drumming circles, laughing yoga and bike tours in Sderot, Ayalim Village, the Salad Trail, and Ashkelon. Lunch for all 800 Taglit-Birthright participants was provided by local businesses in Kibbutzim and Moshavim in the surrounding area.

“We at the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress are proud to support this important event, which brings the Diaspora Jewish youth closer to the State of Israel. Our unique history and the rich culture that we share create a solid foundation on which, together and individually, we can build our future” – said Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov, Director General of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

Taglit in the Flourishing Desert is part of a comprehensive partnership between Birthright Israel, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, and Genesis Philanthropy Group, which provides Russian-speaking participants with various enriching experiences while they participate in Birthright Israel trips. Birthright participants returning from the trip report a substantial impact on the importance they place on their Jewish identity, belonging to a Jewish community and being connected to Israel.

Photo: Yosi Alterman

Holocaust survivors and world leaders gathered in Auschwitz to mark 75 years since its liberation

More than 200 Holocaust survivors joined delegates from world governments and prominent Jewish organizations for commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Among the attendees of the ceremony at Auschwitz, led by Polish President Andrzej Duda and the head of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder, were Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chairman of the Board of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Aaron G. Frenkel, Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) First Vice President Emmanuil Grinshpun, EAJC Vice President Alexander Bilinkis, EAJC Vice President Boris Lozhkin, EAJC Director-General Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov.

“We at the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress are committed to preserving the memory of the millions of Holocaust victims and preventing a similar tragedy from happening again. Today, I urge the Jewish leaders of the Euro-Asian region to join a constructive dialogue on Holocaust denial and promote legislation and public policies combating antisemitism and racism in general”, – said Euro-Asian Jewish Congress President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili.

After a ceremonial blowing of the shofar, the traditional Jewish memorial prayer, El Maleh Rahamim, was recited. The ceremony was organized by the Auschwitz-Birkenau state memorial museum and the World Jewish Congress.

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress joined the fourth annual #WeRemember campaign launched by the World Jewish Congress, to spark a global dialogue around the need for better, stronger and more widespread Holocaust education. The campaign invited participants to take a picture of themselves holding a sign “We Remember” and then share the photo on social media.

Jewish communities of Euro-Asian region pay tribute to Holocaust victims

Jewish communities of the Euro-Asian region and EAJC member organizations paid tribute to the victims of the Holocaust with commemorative events dedicated to International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.

The communities and organizations of the region have joined the annual #WeRemember campaign, initiated by the World Jewish Congress and supported by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

The Jewish community of the Philippine, which recently has joined the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, held a memorial candle lighting ceremony at Philippine Women’s University. Attended the ceremony were ambassadors of seven states. It worths recalling that the Philippines is the only country in the world that has been actively involved in rescuing Jews during the Holocaust.

The Jewish community of Armenia dedicated the ceremony at the Holocaust monument to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The ceremony was attended by government representatives of the Republic of Armenia, leaders of the Armenian national communities, French Ambassador of Armenia, Jonathan Lakot, the representative of the Russian Embassy in Armenia, local press, and others.

An event dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, organized by the Mitsva Association of Jewish National Organizations of Kazakhstan, the EAJC representative office in Central Asia, and UN Information Office, was held in Almaty. World War II veterans, leaders of ethno-cultural associations, representatives of international diplomatic circles and religious confessions, civic activists, students gathered to pay a tribute to the Holocaust victims.

In Moscow, a meeting between former prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps with Jewish students has been organized by the EAJC member organizations – the All-Russian Union of Jewish Students and the Moscow Public Organization of Jewish Former Prisoners of the Ghetto and Nazi Concentration Camps.

This is the fourth meeting in the framework of a joint project of the student union and the organization of former prisoners aimed at preserving historical memory and combating Holocaust denial.

The Hillel Russia educational events, dedicated to International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, were attended by young people from eight Russian cities. An exhibition “Auschwitz – a place on Earth” opened in the Khabarovsk synagogue; a meeting with Holocaust survivors was held in Penza; in Yekaterinburg, in collaboration with the local Jewish community, an evening of dramatic reading of Anne Frank’s diary was held; an evening in memory of the Holocaust victims was held in Novosibirsk; in St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk Shabbat Memorial service took place.

As part of the memorial events, on February 3, in Moscow, the Documentary Film Center and KARO.Art will present the premiere screening of the documentary “Anna Frank. Parallel Stories”, featuring the Academy Award winner, Hellen Mirren. The premiere is held with the information support of Hillel Russia, the Jewish Museum and the Center for Tolerance, and the Knizhniki publishing house.

The Jewish community of Montenegro and the EAJC representative office in Balkan region paid tribute to the Holocaust victim at a ceremony with the participation of community president, George Rachevichev; Minister for Human Rights and Minorities of Montenegro, Mehmet Zenk; Chief Rabbi of Montenegro, Ari Edelkopf; Deputy Head of the Israeli Embassy in Serbia and Montenegro, Mayan Ben Tour; ambassadors of Great Britain, Germany, and the United States, and other honorary guests.

The Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms and the Committee on Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Montenegro supported the initiative of the Jewish community of Montenegro and held a conference dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Conference participants expressed their willingness to help educate young generations so that the Holocaust tragedy never repeats itself.

On January 27, in Belgrade, Minister Zoran Djordjevic hosted a ceremony dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the site of the Sajmište concentration camp. Members of the Jewish community of Belgrade laid wreaths at the site Topovske Šupe, one of the first concentration camps for Jews and Roma in Europe, located close to the city center. The Jewish community also joined the memorial ceremony dedicated to the 78th anniversary of the Novi Sad Raid, remembering more than 1,300 Serbs, Jews, and Roma massacred there.

The Jewish community of Belgrade has invited the city residents to the premiere of the short documentary “Porajmos” (the Romani genocide). At the Kolarac art cinema, the premiere of two Goran Music films, “Amos Oz. The nature of dreams” and “Agnes Jeremiah. The first 100 years”. The Jewish community of Zrenjanin presented the premiere of the play “No Addressee Specified” dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust.

Educational classes, commemorative ceremonies, meetings, and webinars organized by the Kesher Project and aimed at preserving the memory of the Holocaust, were held in numerous cities in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. An online bridge, dedicated to International Holocaust Remembrance Day, brought together the Kesher Project activists and ORT students in Kiev, Vilnius, and Odessa.

In the framework of the youth project “Women Art Challenger” on the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the religious organization of progressive Judaism of Tver presented the cartoon “Francesca”. In Gomel, an interactive exhibition “The Path of Remembrance”, based on Yad Vashem materials, has opened.

The traditional ceremony at the Jewish Community House in Tbilisi began with the lighting of six candles in memory of the Jews perished in the Holocaust. The ceremony was attended by the Israeli Ambassador to Georgia, Ran Gidor, representatives of the diplomatic corps of Poland, Germany, the USA, Lithuania, and Latvia as well as representatives of Jewish organizations and members of the Jewish community of Georgia.

Chairman of the Union of Jewish Communities of Georgia, Rafael Mesengiser, read Kaddish. Excerpts from documentaries about the Holocaust, prisoners’ letters, and Jewish songs and niggunnim performed by the Shir vocal studio from the Jewish Cultural and Educational Foundation reflected a vivid memory of the tragedy of the Jewish people.

Memorial Candle Monument was opened in Jerusalem

January 23 –  The city of Jerusalem hosted a special ceremony to inaugurate the Memorial Candle Monument, which is dedicated to the heroic defenders and fighters in Leningrad during World War II. The ceremony was held under the sponsorship of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Also attending the ceremony were Russian President, Vladimir Putin; Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon; Governor of St. Petersburg, Aleksandr Beglov; President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili, chairperson of the board of trustees for Moscow’s Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, Viktor Vekselberg; President of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC), Yuri Kanner; chairperson of the Jewish National Fund, Daniel Atar; mastermind behind the monument, Leonid Litinetsky; leaders of the World War II Veterans Society in Israel, Abraham Greenzide and Emilia Larina as well as foreign ambassadors and other distinguished guests.

Russian President Putin said, “The Leningrad blockade and the Holocaust are beyond any comparison. Documentary facts are appalling. Yet, no document, no story, no diary, no newsreel can ever convey the actual suffering the people went through… I know this directly from my parents: my father fought in the army to defend his hometown, while my mother stayed in the besieged city with a child that died in the winter of 1942 and was buried at the Piskarevsky Memorial Cemetery… among hundreds of thousands of other citizens,” he told. “Here, just like in Russia, people understand the importance of the lessons of World War II and do not let the world forget what national self-interest, disunity, and tolerance of all forms of chauvinism, anti-Semitism, and Russophobia can lead to. Our common duty is to transmit this knowledge to the future generations,” Putin remarked.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau reminded in his address to the Russian President that each of the participants of the event survived a personal tragedy connected to the war and the Holocaust. He said there can be no compromise when fighting against fanatical regimes. “We must stop them. We must clearly understand the threat coming from them. The lessons of the Holocaust have not been forgotten. Today, the Jewish people have a strong state and a strong army. Those who threaten to destroy us will have to face a harsh and decisive response,” the Prime Minister stressed.

“The 150,000 Jews of Leningrad shared the tragic fate of the city. Many took up arms, and approximately 70 thousand perished. More than 1,300 survivors of the siege currently live in Israel. We are grateful to these courageous and heroic individuals, and we are proud that we have a monument today erected in their honor”, said the President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, who was the first to support the project.

The project was funded by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC), Viktor Vekselberg, the Jewish National Fund – Keren Kayemet LeIsrael and the Israeli Keren Hayesod foundation. The installation of the monument was backed by the city governments of St. Petersburg and Jerusalem.

The concept of the Memorial Candle Monument originated from former Member of Knesset Leonid Litinetsky, the World War II Veterans Council and Association of (Leningrad) Blockade Survivors in Israel. The monument was built and installed by two creative teams of artists. The Israeli team was led by architect, Udi Kasif and sculptor, Adam Perets, and the Russian team lead by architects, Anatoly and Lada Chernovs and sculptor, Vladislav Manachinsky.

Erected high atop a hill in the Israeli capital, the Memorial Candle Monument is a towering 8.5-meter brass stele with a cast bronze element representing the candle’s flame. The flame’s movement is made possible by a spiral form illuminated at nighttime to create the special effect of an eternal candle.

Join our #WeRemember campaign to combat all forms of hatred

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress joined the World Jewish Congress (WJC) fourth annual #WeRemember campaign to combat antisemitism and all forms of hatred, genocide, and xenophobia. The campaign runs through International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.

We invite all our friends around the world to take pictures of themselves holding a sign with the words “We Remember,” and then post their pictures to social media using the hashtag #WeRemember.

Let’s spread the message that the Holocaust memory continues to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.

EAJC President congratulated Zoran Milanović on his election as President of Croatia

EAJC President Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili sent a congratulations letter to the newly elected president of Croatia Zoran Milanović: “On behalf of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, please accept my heartfelt congratulations on winning the presidential election. We offer to you our most sincere wishes for a successful term as President and good luck in all your future endeavors.

I take this opportunity to reaffirm the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress’s unequivocal commitment to the friendly dialogue between the Croatian and Jewish people and express a sincere hope that our partnership will continue to grow and develop, providing new fruitful opportunities and connecting people.

We at the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress look forward to many more years of cooperation as Croatia continues to be a true friend of the Jewish people.”

Large-scale Jewish center to be built in Dnipro, Ukraine

An official ceremony of laying the first stone in the construction of the Beit Mashiach Jewish center took place in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

The ceremony of laying the stone was attended by President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Mikhail Mirilashvili; Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky; President of the Jewish Community of Dnipro, Gennady Bogolyubov; President of the Shiurey Tora Lyubavich, Nathan (Arthur) Zolotarevsky; Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yitzhak Yosef.

“Beit Mashiach” is a multifunctional complex that forms a whole Jewish quarter — a city in a city. The nine-story building will house a prayer hall as well as studying, service, and living quarters.

Beit Mashiach, the property of the Jewish community of Dnipro, will be home to more than a hundred of Jewish underprivileged families who live and work in Dnipro. The total area of ​​the Beit Mashiach center is 12,000 square meters.

More than 700 Russian-speaking Israelis and public figures gathered at Limmud FSU Israel in Ashdod

The international educational organization, Limmud FSU celebrated its bat-mitzvah – 12 years of educational activities in Israel with a three-day festival in Ashdod. The pluralistic conference, run entirely by volunteers, attracted more than 700 young Russian-speaking Israelis.

The festival encompassed more than 150 lectures, workshops, round-table discussions, master classes, and artistic performances given by 100 presenters, on a wide range of subjects of Jewish interest.

EAJC General Director, Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov, together with prof. Dina Porat, a chief historian of Yad Vashem; Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, the former Deputy-President of the Supreme Court; Ambassador Efraim Halevi; and Ambassador Uri Palti, participated in the round-table discussion about the rise of antisemitism and the far right, presented by Dr. Yoel Rappel.

Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov emphasized: “In the new law on the national state, the State of Israel for the first time declared its commitment to the common fate of the Jewish people, the principle of unity of the Jewish people, and the value of the relationship between Jews wherever they live. It is this aspect of the law that is vital and worthy of support. Israel must take a greater spiritual and political responsibility for the Jewish communities of the world.”

Among the festival’s highlights was the inauguration of an exhibition in honor of Justice Rubinstein, curated by Prof. Aviad HaCohen, Dean of the Sha’arei Hamishpat College of Law. The festival also featured a memorial to the late Russian cosmonaut, Alexei Leonov, the first man to walk in space who passed away in October. The event featured a message from the American astronaut Garrett Reisman, who was a guest of honor together with Leonov at Limmud FSU 2011 in Beersheba.

“Unity is a much needed today more than ever, and Limmud FSU has been uniting people for many many years now. The Diaspora cries out for Limmud, and unfortunately, we are currently losing parts of our human reserve and support of the Jews worldwide. Therefore, it is crucial that each and every one of us do his and her best to be together, to volunteer, to deepen and strengthen Jewish identity, and to be involved in the life of the Jewish people,” said Limmud FSU President and EAJC Chairman of the Board, Aaron G. Frenkel.

“By consistently supporting the Limmud FSU conference, we at the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress are convinced of the need to further develop this important project, based on a fresh, modern approach to traditional Jewish values,” said EAJC President Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili.

Photos courtesy of Alex Khanin and Limmud FSU.