On Monday, March 19, a festive dinner was held in Jerusalem, organized by the president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), Mikhail Mirilashvili, as part of the visit of the delegation of the World Jewish Congress led by Ronald Lauder to Israel.

Mikhail Mirilashvili appealed to the audience and outlined the prospects of the EAJC activity: “We can definitely say that after long years of stagnation, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress has come to life and actively develops and growths. At the end of 2017, a record annual budget was approved. Since early 2018, the Congress has supported or initiated more than 30 projects. Recently, we have been repeatedly asked to join the Congress from communities from all over the world: Thailand, Vietnam, China, Laos, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, South Korea, Turkey and others. We started supporting such large-scale projects as Taglit and Limmud. We are acquiring new partners – the Israel-Russia Business Council, the Friendship Fund, the All-Russian Union of Jewish Students, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia and others. ”

The event was also attended by the Minister Zeev Elkin, EAJC Chairman and WJC Vice President Aaron Frenkel, EAJC First Vice President Teimuraz Khikhinashvili (Ben Yehuda), WJC Director Robert Zinger, EAJC Vice President Alexander Levin, EAJC Vice President Alexander Bilinkis, EAJC Vice President Maxim Pasik, EAJC first Vice President Rami Levi, heads of communities and other members of the WJC delegation.

As announced earlier this week by a Board of EAJC, a Founder and President of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein was appointed  as vice president of the Eurasian Jewish Congress, representing Jewish communities in Russia, Ukraine, and more than 20 other countries. The IFCJ and the EAJC will cooperate on a series of issues, including the security of Jewish communities, following the trail of anti-Semitic incidents, and supporting Sunday schools in the communities which are members of the Congress.

The president of the Congress who also serves as vice president of the World Jewish Congress, Mikhael Mirilashvili, congratulated Rabbi Eckstein for joining the EAJC: “As president and founder of the Fellowship and also as the winner of several awards for his public service, given by the IDF,  Israeli Prime Minister,  Jewish Agency,  Chabad movement and the Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia, as well as others, Rabbi Eckstein serves as a model of morals and gallantry. We have great hopes for the future cooperation revolving around the goal of the Congress – to support Jewish communities. Rabbi Eckstein’s joining us will be a great contribution to the EAJC. Together we are able to reach significant achievements for the Jewish people.”

Dear Friends,

Purim is, above all, a celebration of our victory over the forces of antisemitism. We must never forget our roots, and what we are ready to do for our people.

When we are united and spiritually strong, we can never be defeated. Together, we will overcome those who are hostile to our people.

I send my warmest wishes of blessings and prosperity.

May joy always fill our hearts!

Purim Sameach!

The Yad Sarah – Frenkel Emergency Medical Center opened this past week in Jerusalem. Unlike other emergency medical centers in Israel which are staffed by general practitioners and feature one universal department that accepts all patients, the new medical center is divided into three departments—Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Gynecology, with a field specialist assigned to each respective department.  The brand-new medical center, named the "Frenkel Emergency Medical Center", is the generous donation of the international businessman and Chairman of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Aaron Frenkel who dedicated the center in memory of his parents RChaim and Fruma, z”l.

The new center is built upon an impressive area of 1,000 sq. meters and situated in the Yad Sarah House in Jerusalem, in close proximity to Shaare Zedek Medical Center. It presently encompasses a medical imaging department; treatment rooms; laboratory; and more, and will be operated by members of Shaare Zedek’s medical faculty.

Attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony were President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) and Vice President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Mikhael Mirilashvili; Chairman of Limmud FSU Matthew Bronfman; Health Minister Yaakov Litzman; Minister Zev Elkin; founder of Yad Sarah Rabbi Uri Lupolianski; and CEO of Shaare Zedek Medical Center Professor Jonathan Halevi.

Addressing the guests, Frenkel proudly expressed, “It is my obligation and privilege to attend this event. I have been acquainted with Uri for many years and borne witness to the extraordinary kindness and charity that takes place here. It all starts and ends with good people who are devoted to the public. It is our hope that this place will become a leader and model in the quality of service that it provides to the public. Better service. Service with heart. With generosity and warmth. We want this medical center to become a guiding light to others in the field of medicine.”

In a rare questioning of authorities, Jewish leader in Belarus said they were “concerned” over plans to build apartments atop what used to be a Jewish cemetery in Gomel.

The statement by the Union of Public Associations and Jewish Communities provided to JTA earlier this week is unusual in a country that is sometimes referred to as “Europe’s last dictatorship” over the authoritarian rule of its president, Alexander Lukashenko.

It follows reports by JTA and others on the Aug. 21 ruling by the Tsentralny District Court not to intervene in plans for the construction of two luxury apartment buildings on the grounds of a former cemetery on Sozhskaya Street in the eastern city. The court was responding to a motion for an injunction submitted by Yakov Goodman, a Jewish-American activist for the preservation of Jewish heritage sites in his native Belarus who is outspoken in his criticism of the Lukashenko regime.

The Jewish union “is closely monitoring the situation in Gomel and is in constant touch with representatives of the local Jewish community,” the organization’s statement also read.

According to Jewish religious laws, burial sites must not be disturbed except in special cases.

The last burial that took place at the cemetery happened before 1885, and most human remains “are likely gone as a result of previous construction — if they there were in this location to begin with,” the union also said.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, where the Belarusian union of communities is a member, issued a stronger condemnation of the ruling, saying the courts in Belarus are “dependent on the executive bodies,” according to the 2017 country report for Belarus by the Freedom House democracy watchdog. Freedom House ranks Belarus as the least free nation in the European part of the former Soviet Union, labeling it the continent’s only “consolidated authoritarian regime” besides Russia.

The congress “strongly opposes construction above and destruction of Jewish heritage sites around the world, including in Belarus,” the group’s president, Mikhael Mirilashvili, told JTA.

Robert Singer, the executive vice president of the World Jewish Congress, also spoke out against the plans in Gomel.

“The World Jewish Congress was concerned and disappointed to learn that the Belarusian authorities had authorized” the plan, he said.

“The WJC has engaged in constructive and positive dialogue with the Belarussian government, including the president, prime minister, and foreign minister, in recent years, and we hope to maintain the same level of communication and understanding with regard to this issue as well,” Singer wrote.

In replying to the motion on construction in Gomel, the city’s urban housing and communal services department told the court, “There is no information about the location of the cemetery in this place.”

Several historians disputed the assertion.

The Belarusian government did not reply to a request for comment by JTA.

Mikhael Mirilashvili, President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), expressed his surprise at a decision rendered by the international managing committee charged with renovating the Sobibor Concentration Camp Museum to refuse Russia’s participation and assistance in the project. Mirilashvili noted that it is necessary to differentiate between international politics and the obligation to honor the memory of Holocaust victims.

“The obligation to preserve the memories of the horrific events that took place in the concentration and extermination camps is incumbent upon each and every one of us. Russia is a key player in memorializing Holocaust victims, and her participation in this project is vital. I agree wholeheartedly with Israel’s official reaction supporting Russia’s participation in renovating the Sobibor camp museum. The etymological root of the word Jew is the Hebrew word hodaya, gratitude. As Jews, we are obliged to express our gratitude to anyone who assisted us in those difficult times.”

The delegates of the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), which is currently taking place in Ramat Gan, elected the known businessman and philanthropist Mikhail Mirilashvili to the post of EAJC President.

Mirilashvili was born on May 1, 1960, in the Kulashi village of Georgia. He graduated from the Leningrad Pediatric Institute in 1983. Mirilashvili has been active in business since the late 1980s. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Petromir Holding and the President of the Konti corporation.

Mirilashvili is active in pharmaceutics, medicine, construction, real estate, manufacture, new technologies, the entertainment industry, and the restaurant and hotel business. He is a known public figure and patron. He is President of the Maccaby Union of Jewish Aesthetic Societies and Physical Culture of St. Petersburg, Russia, the CIS, and the Baltic countries, as well as the Chariman of the Trustee Board of the ZAKA International Jewish Organization of Volunteer Rescuers.

Mirilashvili has been decorated multiple times for his charitable activities. His earlier activity within the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress included holding the positions of Acting President, First Vice President and Vice President.