Celebrating 90 years of a high-quality press and other accomplishments in an ‘old-new land’ – a dream come true.

A little more than a week ago, we marked the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress in Basel and once more reminded ourselves what a truly remarkable event it was. Five years after the First Zionist Congress, in his famous “Altneuland,” Theodor Herzl allowed himself to dream big, perhaps even a little too big. One can’t help but smile reading it today. Brought up in a European manner, Herzl wanted to bring Europe itself – its essence, culture and progress – to the Middle East. Like many early theoretical and political Zionists, he thought it was a key to getting along with the local Arab population and creating peaceful coexistence. However, when it came to real life and practical deeds, history got in the way of those dreams. But one cannot deny how right Herzl was in his general vision.

The Zionist project succeeded in building a modern democratic state. As a proper European at the time and a journalist himself, Herzl surely dreamed about a professional and independent Israeli press.

Today, we celebrate the anniversary of one of the oldest Israeli news outlets – the Jerusalem Post – founded just a few decades before the State itself was proclaimed.

It’s a great honor for me to congratulate the Jerusalem Post and its readers on this occasion and mark their excellent work and contribution to Israeli democracy, as well as their promotion of the Jewish State abroad by telling the true story of Israel as it unfolds.

An independent press, objective criticism, unbiased opinions and views across the political spectrum are the markers of a healthy democracy. It’s something we are fortunate to have in Israel – something we must cherish. By ensuring the independence of the media and the existence of such newspapers as the Jerusalem Post, we are ensuring the future of our State for years to come. At the first Zionist Congresses, delegates argued whether it was more important to make political moves or settle the land. These were the political and practical wings of the Zionist movement. Ensuring the work of an independent press in Israel is indeed the practical Zionism of today.

It is a misconception to state that Zionism has fulfilled its mission and lost its relevance as an ideology. The fact that we have populated the land, built a state and received political recognition from the nations doesn’t mean that the work is done. We can redefine the same aspects, and we have a great deal of political, practical and spiritual work to do. In everyday life, we tend to forget that our ‘founding fathers’ – both of the ancient and the modern Jewish nation – dreamt of making the world into a better place. That is precisely what binds Judaism and modern Zionism. The idealism of the Torah and the commandment to serve as a role model to other nations by building an ideal, prosperous state with a just society was an inspiration for the Zionist pioneers and statesmen. That is what we must not forget today. The Jerusalem Post is a good example of such visionary, dream-like Zionism.

Building a ‘good enough’ state wasn’t the plan, and we are only halfway there. Luckily, we are growing quickly, and today the State of Israel is considered a role model in several aspects of life.

Creativity, technology and diplomacy have to be included in this list. Historically the Land of Israel has always been at the crossroads of continents, empires and nations. This delicate position among our neighbors, who were not always friendly, along with a challenging climate, harsh conditions and scarcity of natural resources, has not made our life any easier in ancient times nor today. However, it taught us to look on the brighter side of life, find the positive aspects of adverse situations, and, most importantly, adapt.

A lack of alternatives made us think out of the box. Creativity led to the boost of technology when the time came. Technology allowed the tiny Jewish state to become one of the leading economic forces, gained us a solid international status and strengthened our diplomatic positions.

I’m privileged to have the ability to contribute to these processes by advocating Israeli rights as President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, and developing new technologies as a founder of two Israeli-based tech companies. One of them is Watergen, whose devices produce clean, fresh drinking water from the moisture in the air. The second is Vertical Field, which provides an affordable way to grow over 200 types of crops in any indoor or outdoor urban space. The recently signed Abraham Accords allowed us to find partners in the United Arab Emirates. We are especially proud that several Watergen devices have been installed in the Gaza Strip, where almost two million people suffer from a severe shortage of clean drinking water. By closing the gaps and making the world more equal, technology brings people and nations together.

Thousands of tech companies in Israel today are improving the quality of daily life and contributing to the international image of our state. This is yet another intersection of contemporary practical and political Zionism.

I would like to greet once more and express my deep gratitude to the Jerusalem Post and all the participants of its Anniversary Conference in New York for taking such an active part in our common Zionist project, building the future for our State and making the most vivid dreams of our spiritual forefathers come true.

On August 12 this year we will note the 70th anniversary of the brutal execution of members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, via a series of commemorating events for this tragedy.

As we approaching the 70th anniversary of the brutal execution of members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, we can’t forget this terrible historical lesson.

“In January 1949, it became clear that the Russian Jews would pay a ‘heavy price’ for the reception they gave us,” wrote Golda Meir in her autobiography about her being the first Israeli Representative in Moscow.

“For the Soviet government, the joy that local Jews welcomed us with, meant a ‘betrayal’ of communist ideals. The Jewish theater in Moscow was closed. The Jewish newspaper Einikait was closed. The Jewish publishing house Emes either. No matter that they were all loyal to the party. Russian Jewry showed too much interest in Israel and the Israelis for the Kremlin to like it. Five months later, not a single Jewish organization remained in Russia, and the Jews tried not to approach us any more.”

It was a year after Solomon Mikhoels, the popular Jewish actor and director of the Moscow State Jewish Theatre was brutally assassinated, while other members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAC) – poets, actors and writers – were prosecuted, which led to the execution three years later, on August 12, 1952, exactly 70 years ago – a date which will be remembered as the “Night of the Murdered Poets.”

The commemorating events of this tragedy have become symbols of the revival of Jewish life in the countries of the former USSR, and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress organizes them with special feeling. The Museum of the Jewish People – ANU – is hosting a number of such events for the second year in a row.

In the early Soviet years, the Jewish culture was separated and cleared of Zionist sentiments. Thus, the Yiddish culture, opposed to the Hebrew one, was granted permission by the Party to to exist and truly flourished in the coming years. By the beginning of World War II, the Soviet public was well aware of the Jewish names in cultural life, such as Solomon Mikhoels, Itzik Feffer, Veniamin Zuskin, Peretz Markish and others.

The Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee was founded in 1941 as a union of prominent Jewish public figures – politicians, writers, actors and scholars – to affect public opinion, secure political support and raise funds for the Soviet fight against Nazi Germany. They were allowed to cross the border, and visited United States, Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom. Throughout their pro-Soviet rally they met with Albert Einstein, Chaim Weizmann, Marc Chagall and many others. JAC leaders succeeded in raising significant funds and other material help for the Soviet needs.

Beyond their main mission, JAC leaders became a somewhat unofficial, but recognized representation of the diffused and leaderless Soviet Jewry, especially after the war. That was clearly out of their mandate and the Kremlin’s plans. It’s exactly when their tight connections with the West, which helped the Soviets enormously during War, ultimately backfired, as they were proclaimed traitors and international spies who carried out anti-Soviet affairs.

The charges against them were absurd. The Jewish theater artist Veniamin Zuskin was sentenced to death for “staging the plays that glorified Jewish antiquity, portrayed shtetl traditions and the tragic doom of Jewish People, which aroused nationalist feelings among Jewish viewers.” The journalist and literary critic Miriam Eisenstadt was shot for publishing the list of 135 Jewish war heroes in Einikait and writing essays about some of them. In a note left to her husband and daughter, the journalist wrote: “The accusations against me are monstrous. I won’t sign anything, and that means we’ll never meet again.”

In a totalitarian ‘cage’, where the law is distorted and misused, you have nothing to protect yourself from the the ruthless state ‘machine,’ if you were chosen as a target.

In such regimes, sooner or later the question arises of loyalty to the state and quite quickly it becomes an ultimate excuse to justify all means of fighting ‘the threat.’ Concerning the Jewish population, the well-known anti-Semitic accusation of the dual loyalty, claiming that Jewish interest in Israel and worldwide Jewish community somehow makes one disloyal to the own state, is indeed a very easy trap to fall into. According to the poll conducted by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in 2019, half of the the respondents think a Jewish person should be a patriot of their own state and the State of Israel equally. This can be easily misinterpreted and used by those who need it.

During all the years of the communist regime, the entire world watched from the sidelines as the antisemitic state machine mocked the Soviet Jews while the authorities practically did not allow Jews to leave for their historical homeland. Clearly, no one wants the new ‘Iron Curtain’ ever again.

The organized Jewish world stands for the unconditional and undeniable right of all Jews to make aliyah to Israel at any time they need it. The dark history of the past century shall not repeat itself.

After almost three-quarters of a century, it’s time for us to recognize that our state is no longer just a local power – we must venture further and consider our impact on the whole world.

Along with conventional educational methods and discussion of the Holocaust, it is necessary to bring a new approach to this dialogue and examine this topic from new perspectives.

Even when it comes to such an important historical topic as the Holocaust, decades of the same rhetoric and extensive education, while playing an important role for specific groups, do not increase or maintain interest in this topic among the masses. Especially in the current conditions of the so-called clip culture and a massive flow of information, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the vast and complex topic of the Holocaust to break through the informational volume. This is also why we see such surprising results from surveys in different countries, similar to the one recently published by the Claims Conference, where respondents demonstrated mostly superficial knowledge about the Holocaust.

In this regard, it is very important to include this topic in official educational programs, as the president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress claimed in his recent column. In addition, we have to adapt and find new angles and methods of presenting history in the modern information space.

As Lindsay Zemler writes in an article for Tel Aviv University, until recently, it had been unacceptable to directly raise the topic of the Holocaust in film.  The Holocaust did not become a popular theme of films until the 1970s and 1980s, even forming a separate genre. Gradually, the boundaries of what was permitted in the context of displaying the Holocaust shifted and today there are many films that reveal those events from various angles.

There is no doubt that cinematography has made a considerable contribution in raising awareness of the history of the Holocaust. However, according to Yael Mazor, a lecturer at the TAU Steve Tisch School of Film and Television, in addition to the already known depiction of the Holocaust in films, we must be open to new interpretations and maintain an active dialogue about those events. Today, when the number of living witnesses of the Holocaust is decreasing, it is especially important to form “new ways of memory.”

These may be new, not sufficiently disclosed side events of the story, difficult new questions, or new ways of displaying and trying to comprehend what happened.

An interesting step in this direction was the project Eva Stories, documenting the history of a family during the Holocaust in the form of posts and stories in an Instagram account. The project, which sparked a great debate about such methods of displaying a sensitive topic, nevertheless gathered more than a million subscribers.

 

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In 2020, a TikTok trend in which young content creators portrayed themselves as time-displaced victims of the Holocaust came under similar criticism. However, according to Tom Divon, an Israeli researcher on this topic in social networks, what matters more is not the presentation of the topic itself, which seems artificial and simplified, but the interest among teenagers – who often have no connection with Judaism –  to create such content in the first place.

It’s hard to disagree with this. Despite the delicacy of the topic, ignoring the new means of communication and content consumption on the part of traditional institutions inevitably leads to a generational gap in the dialogue about the Holocaust. Ultimately, it is the viral content in modern social networks that has the potential to reach millions quickly and raise mass awareness. We have to adapt to it strategically.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress pays great attention to the preservation of memory and distribution of knowledge about the Holocaust. In this regard, SHOA, a special resource, was created to collect information in the form of initiatives and mini-projects online, revealing the events and issues of the Holocaust interactively, in clear language with easy navigation.

In 2020, we supported the production of the animated movie 263 Nights. Most people are aware of the Minsk Ghetto, but not everyone knows the story of 26 Minsk Jews who hid from the horrors of the Nazi occupation in a basement for 263 days and nights. This animated movie reveals the lesser-known history of the Jews of Minsk.

In December 2021, at the 7th Moscow Jewish Film Festival, the film was nominated for the best short documentary, and it has been screened at several international film festivals. Yefim Gimelstein, on whose behalf the film is narrated, lives in Israel today. Yefim was hiding in the basement as a six-year-old child and today he is one of the two surviving witnesses of those events.

Another important perspective of the Holocaust is the history of the Righteous Among the Nations. In October 2021, with the support of the EAJC, Righteous Among the Nations. Ukraine, a book about Ukrainians who saved Jews during the Holocaust, was published. The book contains almost 2,700 names, officially recognized today by the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of Israel Isaac Herzog contributed a foreword to the book.

By presenting new stories, facts and views of the terrible events of the Holocaust, we are refreshing the dialogue and keeping it from being forgotten. We have a responsibility to raise awareness and interest of this topic among younger generations, while preventing the denial, trivialization and politicization of the Holocaust.

The EAJC press office talked to the leaders of the Jewish community in Ukrainian cities undergoing a humanitarian crisis to find out how the war has changed their personal lives and the life of the entire community.

Iosif Akselrud, Director of Hillel CASE, Executive Director of the All-Ukrainian Jewish Congress

All branches of Hillel CASE – in Belarus, Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan – function as usual, except for Ukrainian ones. In almost all cities where Hillel operates, it is usually a key Jewish organization, while Hillel in Chisinau (Kishinev) truly shows miracles of heroism nowadays. The Jewish community takes out a huge number of people from Ukraine to Moldova. From there they are making Aliyah to Israel. Hillel students work almost 24/7 and don’t even hold their own events anymore – there is no time for that. I am sincerely grateful to our headquarters in Washington, who provided support to the office in Chisinau so that they were able to provide assistance to refugees.

Most of the students of Ukrainian Hillel remained in the country, about a third left. In a couple of weeks we are planning to relaunch our regional office operations from Israel. In total, the Ukrainian Hillel gathered a community of about five thousand students. Almost all of our activists, around 90%, are now volunteering.

The most beautiful and large Hillel chapter in Ukraine – in Kharkiv – is now completely destroyed due to the rocket attack. For us it was a big shock. The big Hillel center was in the very heart of the city. For those who used to attend it that was a real tragedy, almost all of the Kharkiv students and volunteers left – some went abroad, some relocated to other cities of Ukraine. Only two employees remained in a city. We are keeping in touch and helping them as far as we can.

Some fellows, for instance, were evacuated to Lviv, which remains relatively peaceful. Hillel there works on humanitarian aid and the reception of refugees almost the same way as in Chisinau. Students joined in helping the evacuation of civilians at bus and train stations. They coordinate their actions with the local territorial defense, accommodate refugees in the community center and at the Hillel facility itself, distribute food kits, help in finding medicines, and provide first medical and psychological assistance. They help the refugees to spend their free time as well, just to escape the horrors of war: they hold various educational events, arrange Shabbat Reception services. There are now more than 200,000 internally displaced persons in Lviv, more than a million people made their way to Polish border through the city.

A large volunteer center has been set up at Hillel Odessa as well. They are helping those in need, provide elderly people with food. In Dnipro, the Hillel volunteers prepared everything necessary to be able to stay in an emergency for a long time. Activities continue, no matter what: the recent ceremony of Kabalat Shabat took place both offline and online.

Many students went to the front: someone joined the territorial defense detachment, someone was drafted into the army, someone works in hospitals. I’m very worried about the guys. One of our students is an ambulance driver. Sometimes he gets so knocked down that he sleeps right in his car. Students and staff of Kiev “Hillel” joined the volunteer organization “Zgraya”, headed by our graduate Zhenya Talinovskaya. Our other star, Ilona Ilchenko, works as a nurse in a hospital that was at the epicenter of hostilities near the capital. Refugees from Chernigov were accommodated in the premises of Hillel Kiev at the request of the Joint Distribution Comitee.

Mostly, students are busy with lots of volunteer work now. Therefore, the regular educational and entertainment Hillel programs are significantly reduced. At the same time, despite all the horrors of war, we try to distract ourselves and hold some online meetings. For example, we recently hosted an international online Shabbat, there were more than 100 people. Students and leaders of the international Hillel took part, we traditionally celebrated Shabbat and made kiddush together. Now we are preparing a project for Pesach. We will conduct an online training for the guys, where we will teach how to conduct a Seder. Such events are now more than needed. It gives hope and inspiration. I am sincerely grateful to those who are with us during this difficult time.

Liron Edery, Head of the Association for the Development of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, Rabbi of Krivoy Rog

I have been working 24/7 for weeks now, including Shabat if necessary. We managed to somehow spend the last Saturday without phones, this was already a good sign. In addition to the community in Krivoy Rog, I’m also responsible for the recently opened refugees and logistics centers in Uman. We provide food, clothes, medicines – for everyone who lives within 250 km from Uman.

At first, I have to say I didn’t just hope this madness wouldn’t happen – I was absolutely positive about it. Moreover, if I were brought back in time, I would say it one more time – this is indeed just some crazy idea. I still don’t quite comprehend what is going on. I just don’t have a rational explanation for it.

Before it all started, I ended up in Kyiv. Since I am the head of the Association for the Development of Jewish Communities in Ukraine, I do teach in Kyiv two days a week and have to meet with people, politicians, etc. That very Thursday, February 24, I woke up early, at five in the morning, and received dozens of disturbing messages and calls that Ukraine is being attacked. Of course, I immediately got into the car and drove to Krivoy Rog for whole ten hours instead of the usual four and a half.

Like everyone else, I was at a loss and did not understand what was happening. The first reaction was anger. But we organized evacuation routes very quickly, thousands of people were evacuated without even asking if they were Jewish or not. Then we bought food and medicines, realizing that there could be a shortage. It was enough for a few weeks. Then, frankly, we calmed a bit. We saw that Ukraine reacted like one huge entity, like a living organism. The cities did not give up, and this greatly encouraged everyone, including the Jews. We are very proud of Zelensky. We believe that Ukraine is a unique country with a Jewish president, and we are ready to stay in Ukraine and fight for its existence. It is a place where a large number of Jews have lived for at least the last 800 years.

I worked almost non-stop for two weeks until Purim. On Purim, he worked almost until the start of the meal. I told my colleagues in the synagogue, “Get ready for a hundred people.” They told me: “What are you talking about? We evacuated thousands.” Eventually, two hundred people came. I remember how I entered the hall, and there were not enough chairs. And I personally rushed to find them, apologizing to people for the fact that we had not prepared for their arrival. It means two things. First, the Jewish people tend to unite as always, especially at such moments. Secondly, a large number of Ukrainian Jews have not gone anywhere. Mostly women and children left. We have 300 children at school, 100 of them are abroad, and 200 are just outside the city. The old people evacuated as well. Those who are defenseless left. Many men sent their wives and children away, while they themselves remained in the city and helped in any way they could.

I’ll tell you a story. In Uman, we organized a center for the reception of refugees, because Uman is kind of a transit point for further departure abroad. It’s like a narrow bottle neck. At times, the traffic jam there stretched for 10-15 kilometers, people stood there for more than a day. I recently got a call from a woman who left Krivoy Rog with her children on Saturday at 6 am and reached Uman only on Sunday afternoon. It’s only 250 kilometers. Therefore, we decided to establish a transit point there for people who just need to eat, sleep, and relax. One Saturday I was in Uman. There were four families that were just stuck in the city. One of the families escaped from Mariupol which has been under massive attack. When the “green corridor” was opened, they decided to leave, which apparently was not less risky. They traveled 200 kilometers in 12 hours. They were searched at Russian checkpoints 10 times. Before crossing the Zaporizhia border, they survived a brutal rocket fire, and the Ukrainian troops, at their own risk, not checking who was in front of them, opened the gates at the checkpoint and let them in without a search. Two grandmothers, mother, husband and small child. We made a big Saturday meal for them. And they literally cried all night, just looking at the food.

That night the chief nurse of the hospital near Chernihiv was also with us. A road bridge was blown up there last Friday. She and her son ran across the pedestrian bridge, but her husband stayed in Chernihiv to repair the car. And after she crossed the bridge, it was also blown up. Chernihiv was blocked. This woman came to us in Uman and also did not stop crying. Because of the elderly parents who stayed there, because of the husband who also did not leave. She must now take the child abroad and return back to the hospital. And these are only two stories.

The entire educational process in Ukraine has been suspended. Children study at our school via Zoom – but this it has been only the first week. The principal of the school claims that the presence is one hundred percent: children do miss normal life.

If and when this craziness stops, then we will try to get back to normality as soon as possible. But you must understand: Ukraine will not be the same. It will be a completely different country. It will be a European country. We are confident that Jewish life will flourish here even more.

Now we are focused on one thing: saving people. Krivoy Rog is almost not working. This is 600 thousand unemployed people. Therefore, it is more difficult to provide the same attention to the sick, the elderly, and others in need. It is better to take them away and hand them over to people who can take care of them, and switch to those who need our help here.

Routine is what we have lost with the outbreak of war. The return of routine will mean the return of confidence. This will give us strength.

We are currently working on the Seder Pesach. As in previous years, we plan to receive 600-800 people. It is necessary to agree with the city authorities on indulgence in the curfew so that Seder guests could return home later. We will not let them break us and we are trying to keep working the way we worked in peacetime.

Moshe Reuven Asman, Chief Rabbi of Ukraine

When it all started, I thought it was a bad dream. It just didn’t feel real. Understanding came when I saw anti-tank ‘hedgehogs’ in Kiev, when I heard first explosions of the rocket attacks, when planes and helicopters covered the sky – then my world truly turned upside down.

People divided into those who need help and those who could provide it. We evacuated a lot of people and continue to take them out of the city. I don’t have exact figures on how much already left. Tens of thousands. Including from hot spots – Chernigov, Mariupol, Kharkiv. At some point, those who need help became much more than those who can help.

We help refugees find safe place, but of those who have remained in their homes, there are many old people who need medical care, food and water. Among them many elderly people who used to have nurses at home, and now they are left alone. People in a war zones are hiding in basements. Many of them have nothing, no means to get out, and they also need help.

At the beginning of the war, my phone was bursting with calls, and as a result, we set up a call center of my number: on the issue of evacuation – press 1, other help – 2, volunteers help –3. So eventually you can’t call me directly now.

At first, every volunteer in Kyiv did what he wanted. They acted a bit like a partisan. Then I realized that it was necessary to create a system – and now everyone is responsible for a certain type of activity: one prepares food, the other collects medicines, the third is responsible for logistics, the fourth delivers everything by car, the fifth evacuates people. In addition, we have teamed up with volunteer organizations. In order not to interfere with each other, we act together. We made an agreements on the medical equipment supply from Israel, made a deal with Ichilov Center to deploy a field hospital in Poland, in addition to Kokhav Meir, which operates today in the Lviv region. We also deal with individual cases: someone was arrested, someone was detained, someone disappeared. A lot of questions have to be solved at the same time.

From the very beginning of the war, many people called from Israel and other parts of the world and asked for help, to save people from Mariupol, Irpin. There are people who do not know where their relatives are and whether they are still alive. Several families constantly called me, and sometimes we simply have nothing to tell them, there is no connection with these cities.

Most people try to return to everyday routine. At first, people were scared because there was uncertainty. Now we’re even a little used to it. People began to return to Kyiv from Western Ukraine. There they feel like refugees, they have nowhere to live – but here, they think, although it is hard and dangerous, but at least they are at home. Not that situation is much better, but this is how human psychology works. Now people are even going out. Recently there was a violin concert – one member of our community arranged it. She is a volunteer. She has a Jewish family. Mom, dad and three children – they run the kitchen at the synagogue. Now she helps with cleaning and cooking, but in peacetime she studied at the conservatory and played the violin. And she decides to arrange a concert, we showed it live on Facebook.

People come, join, try to help. Everyone offers something. We try to set tasks to everyone as far as we can. We get a lot of feedback from people. Many Jews, rabbis call from all over the world. They want to help, they send humanitarian aid. In particular, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress helped at the very beginning. But there is simply no time to track every donation and thank personally, we need to save people.

Shlomo Wilhelm, Chief Rabbi of Zhytomyr

I have been living in Zhytomyr for 28 years. During this time, we managed to build a strong Jewish community here. There is a cultural center, an orphanage, a synagogue. The last months before the war, at least 400-500 Jews gathered here during the week. Minyans, prayers, Torah lessons, celebrations, events for the elderly, youth activities, canteen, school. We survived the pandemic and lived quietly, peacefully, we were one hundred percent sure that no war was possible. That it’s all just rumors.

On Thursday morning, February 24th, my wife was at the Boryspil airport, on her way to Antwerp, to visit her family on Shabbat. I stayed with the children. My wife calls at quarter to five. Her plane was scheduled to take off at 5:40, she was waiting for departure. But the flight was cancelled. They said, “The war has begun.” Everything was like a bad dream. I opened my eyes. “War? What war? The confusion began. A few minutes later I heard a siren, and then a loud sound, as if something had fallen and exploded. Planes were flying. Five minutes later I received a call from the town where our orphanage is located: the children heard the sounds, they are crying, what do we do? Five minutes ago I was an optimist, but then it all changed in a moment. I understood: “That’s it, the war began, a rocket fell in Zhytomyr. Our children will not live here while it happens.” The next moment I was already calling to order buses from a friend, a Chabad envoy in the city of Chernivtsi. Then everything was mixed up: one hotel, another hotel, the buses to take the children there and so on.

The third bus was ordered to the Ivano-Frankivsk region. While I stayed in Zhytomyr, I organized food for people, storages, so that there would be something to provide and help – including non-Jewish people too. We bought 30-40 tons of products: sugar, flour, butter, canned food. Literally synagogue was packed with food. We began to arrange buses to the border every day. We had a deal with three hotels: one – in Chernivtsi, the second – in Yaremche, the third – in the Carpathians.

Then I received instructions from my superiors that I also needed to leave the city, because this way I could help more efficiently. And a week after the outbreak of war, I also got on the bus, and we went to Chernivtsi, and then towards the border.

Our orphanage remained in Chernivtsi, but the siren sounded there from time to time too, so we decided that we needed to take them out of Ukraine. Thank God, a great miracle happened, thanks to the Ukrainian and Israeli authorities, who made it possible to take all the children out – without even passports. They were firstly transferred to the city of Cluj in Romania. There is also a Chabad shliach there. We were there for Shabbat. It was already the second Shabbat since the start of the war. There were about 150 people there. And another 50 people from the Cherkasy community. Then we went to Israel, where we got support from the the Jewish National Fund JNF-KKL.

Now the Jewish community of Zhytomyr is divided into three parts: first – in Israel, those who came with us. The second part is in Chernivtsi, there is more than 100 people. And more than 300 families, almost a thousand people, remained in Zhytomyr. There are also children there.

They are eager for peace. There are those who go to the minyan all the time, work as volunteers and distribute the food. They are doing everything possible to return to normal life. In the evening you can not leave the house due to curfew. But people are still trying to live a normal life, trying to return to routine. Schools have resumed learning only remotely.

After a month of war, people began to open up shops. They understand that they need to try to live a life they used to. Just like it happens in Israel at the times of escalations. The Jewish school and synagogue in Zhitomir are guarded 24/7. Thank God everything is good for now. Everyone is waiting for when it will be possible to return back.

“Today is a very difficult time and we cannot but talk about Ukraine and its tragedy. A terrible humanitarian crisis, destroyed cities and fates, millions of refugees, complete uncertainty and loss… Hearing the stories of the witnesses, including leaders of Jewish communities, is not easy, but we must do our best to make their voices heard.

Many Jews fled, someone, thank God, got to Israel and with God’s help will find a new home here. But many remained. And for sure, for many, life will never be the same. We hear calls for help from local rabbis and community leaders. Today, prayers in synagogues are much more passionate, and the doors are open to all those in need. A new reality is emerging and we must deal with it.

We have no right to stay aside. We, the global Jewish community and public figures, must do everything in our power to stop the bloodshed, human tragedy and bring peace closer. We have an obligation to help all those affected now and we will have to rebuild the Jewish communities later on.

These days, many were impressed by the photos taken on Shabbat, where religious Jews were sitting in front of a computer with their phones. One of them, Rabbi Zilberstein from Chernihiv, explained to his little daughter that G-d had given him a rare opportunity to save 65 lives. Even in the darkest time, there will always light.

We believe and pray that soon the Jews of Ukraine will be able to return to their regular peaceful life, but until then it is our moral duty to unite around them, support them and help them out of trouble,” – said the President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Dr. Michael Mirilashvili.

Photo: Chief rabbi of Ukraine. 

Recognition of the Holocaust on a state level should not be a matter of politics. It should just be done

It was just 80 years ago. On 20th of January, in a cosy suburb of Berlin the terrifying decision was made, luckily never to become a complete reality. The decision was to apply the ‘Final Solution’ – literally to exterminate the Jewish population of the Eurasian continent and not only. For somebody who isn’t familiar with the story of Wansee conference, especially nowadays, it may sound like something very abstract and not realistic. Unfortunately it was not so back in 1942. Germans, who made this decision, were pretty well planed regarding the execution of this monstrous plan. The rest is history.

As we move further and further away from these events, and for some they tend to seem more and more abstract and less relevant today, the issue of official Holocaust recognition is becoming even more crucial. Obviously, not always the historical facts are something that we easily agree on as nations and states. Moreover, in a world where ideologies are spreading way faster than ever, where gaining popularity for some bizarre, ungrounded theories – is sometimes a matter of days, historical truth is somewhat a ‘rare element’ that has to be preserved. Sadly even such a tragedy for the Jewish people and the whole world is becoming a matter of politics.

That’s why an International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27th of January is not just a formality, especially when it’s adopted as an official memorable date on a state-level. Recently, Azerbaijan made a decision to officially mark the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. It was stated by the President of the Republic Ilham Aliyev during a meeting with the President of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Rabbi Mark Schneier, a well-known supporter of the Judeo-Muslim interfaith dialogue. What’s making it even more special, Azerbaijan will become one of the few Muslim-majority countries to officially commemorate Holocaust victims.

In April 2021, as a part of ‘Abraham Accords’ normalization deals, the UAE became the first Muslim country to officially celebrate Israeli Yom HaShoah (27th of Nisan according to the Jewish calendar) along with the International Remembrance Day. In the summer of 2021, for the first time in the Arab world, the UAE hosted an exhibition dedicated to the Holocaust at The Crossroads of Civilization Museum in Dubai. Last year, Dr. Muhammad Al-Issa, former Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia and current Secretary General of the League of Arab States, visited Auschwitz as part of a Jewish-Muslim delegation.

Holocaust Remembrance Day is also officially marked in Albania – a Muslim-majority country as well. In 2020 a monument to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust was opened in Tirana. Albania is proud of the fact that during the Second World War, Albanians fiercely defended local Jews, and this area became the only one in Europe where the Jewish population increased during the war.

These official steps of Holocaust commemoration, especially in a Muslim world, – are a significant move forward, but not sufficient for the eradication of Holocaust denial trend. In this regard a next reasonable step would be adopting the working definition of antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Among other aspects, this broad definition includes denying the fact, scope, mechanisms or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters during World War II. An IHRA definition, in our view, provides a solid legal base for fighting Holocaust denial and should be adopted by more states.

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is actively involved in promoting the IHRA definition among states of the region and consistently urges its leaders to form a clear policy regarding Holocaust memory.

In April 2021, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted a law criminalizing Holocaust denial, propaganda of xenophobia, racism and fascism. Chairman of the Jewish community of Moldova, Vice-President of the EAJC, Alexander Bilinkis, was directly involved in the development of this law. In September, the similar law, which also includes criminal liability for Holocaust denial, was adopted in Ukraine.

Still we see swastikas on Jewish monuments or gravestones in Moldova and mass marches, glorifying Nazi collaborators in Ukraine. In Russia, where according to the polls in the latest EAJC publication on antisemitism, most of the respondents heard about Holocaust, on a seminar for school principals in St. Petersburg the host appeared to be a dedicated Holocaust denier. Worth mentioning though that this lecturer was fired. But change doesn’t happen overnight. Proper legislation at least can help to hold the offenders accountable.

Ultimately, in terms of history, 80 years is a very short period of time. But as we can see, in terms of reality perception and historical truth, it can be quite challenging. With all the evidence, with all the preserving and educative efforts, Holocaust recognition and denial is still a major issue. In times when it became a question of politics and agenda, we do call on the authorities of all countries to pass legislation prohibiting the Holocaust denial, ratify the IHRA definition of antisemitism and integrate Holocaust studies into government educational programs.

Recently, Maariv (מעריב) published a column by EAJC Board Chairman Aaron G. Frenkel. The article in English is provided below.

Several events were held in Russia and Israel during 2021, marking the 30th anniversary of the renewing of Russian-Israeli diplomatic ties. Why is this important and why is it not just a formality?

Following the International anti-Semitism conference held last week in Russia, is the position of Jews in the post-soviet countries really strong and stable as it seems?

The 3rd International Conference on Combating Xenophobia, anti-Semitism and Racism “Protecting the Future” was held in Moscow last week. In Russia, where Jews have suffered for centuries from lawlessness, oppression and persecution, today the Jewish community publicly initiates and conducts an interfaith dialogue on tolerance and coexistence. Is the position of Jews in the post-soviet countries really that stable and what are the dynamics of modern anti-semitism? The newly published report by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress answers these questions.

In 1903, finishing his visit to the Russian Empire, Theodor Herzl was overwhelmed by what he saw. Tough policy against Zionist activities, the Kishinev pogrom, anti-Semitism raging among the common people and the highest political circles, the overall plight of the Jews in Russia. All of this played a major part in Herzl’s decision to put on the Sixth Zionist Congress agenda the question of temporary resettlement of the big part of Russian Jewry to the territory previously proposed by the British government, known as the Uganda proposal.

A little over a century later, after decades of terrible Soviet state anti-Semitism, Jewish life is flourishing in modern Russia, and an annual international Jewish conference on countering anti-Semitism and other forms of xenophobia is being held in the very center of Moscow. Despite obvious progress, anti-Semitism still very much exists in the public mind and requires careful monitoring and analysis.

The conference “Protecting the Future” was firstly initiated in 2016 by the Euro-Asian and Russian Jewish Congress. It traditionally brings together many scientists, public and political figures. This year, the conference was attended by the Israeli Minister of diaspora affairs Nachman Shai, Israeli ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben-Zvi, President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder, OSCE high commissioner for national minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov, OSCE special representative for combating anti-Semitism Andrew Baker and ambassadors of states, heads of international research centers and other speakers.

At the conference we presented a new report “anti-Semitism, tolerance and historical memory in the post-Soviet space”, published by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. The report offers a detailed analysis of anti-Semitism in the largest post-Soviet countries in a series of articles written by leading Russian, Ukrainian and Israeli scholars. The articles present the studies and opinion polls results of different years, which reflects the dynamics and makes up the overall picture or even a mosaic of this complex phenomenon.

The monitoring results in recent years show that acts of physical violence motivated by anti-Semitism in the former USSR countries are very rare. Still, there are dozens of cases of vandalism against Jewish sites every year. However, most anti-Semitic acts in modern Russia and other post-Soviet countries usually take place in a verbal form: in the form of anti-Semitic judgments, the spread of conspiracy theories, denial or belittling of the Holocaust. Household stereotypes and prejudices against Jews are still strongly expressed in post-Soviet societies.

According to one of the polls in which Jewish and non-Jewish respondents were asked to determine whether some statements are or are not manifestations of anti-Semitism, the non-Jewish population in Russia is significantly less sensitive to the detection of anti-Semitism. For example, only about 30% of the respondents consider phrases such as “The Holocaust is a myth, its scale is exaggerated” or “Jews are exploiting the Holocaust for their own interest” as a manifestation of anti-Semitism. The majority of the respondents (about 70%) also do not attribute openly anti-Israel statements to anti-Semitism, such as, for example, “The world would be better if there were no Israel.”

The Jewish population in Russia is more sensitive to such expressions. About 70% on average define such statements as a manifestation of intolerance towards Jews. The discrepancy with a similar survey in EU countries, where Jews are almost unanimous on this issue and about 90% on average condemn these statements, should be noted.

Sociologists also mention the scale of “latent” anti-Semitism phenomenon, which reveals prejudices against Jews when answering indirect questions. For example, 64% answered that they consider it undesirable to elect a person of Jewish origin for the presidency in Russia. At the same time, the majority answered a direct question about the attitude towards Jews in a positive-neutral way: 78% said they treat Jews evenly, like any other nations, 12% – with sympathy or interest.

Despite the fact that the overall situation in the post-Soviet countries looks favorable, we cannot deny the level of “latent” anti-Semitism in the polls responses and actual verbal expressions. Of particular concern is the growing spread of anti-Semitic rhetoric and theories in new media channels. History tells us that rhetoric, even if it is just rhetoric, can once provoke physical violence.

That is why the Euro-Asian Jewish congress and its experts closely monitor the state of public sentiment, process and analyze data from various agencies and reports. We are also active in the diplomatic sphere, calling on government leaders to take a firm stand against anti-Semitism and lobbying for the adoption of a working definition of anti-Semitism developed by the International alliance in remembrance of the victims of the holocaust (IHRA).

We hope that the positive dynamics regarding anti-Semitism in the countries of the region will continue, but we are closely monitoring the situation and are always ready for potential threats.

Dr. Haim Ben Yakov, is the writer is director general of the Euro-Asian Jewish congress and head of the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish studies.

Last week, the first state visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog took place in Kiev, during which he met with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and took part in commemoration ceremonies dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the tragedy in Babi Yar.

As part of the visit, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, together with the JNF-KKL, also organized a meeting of Herzog with the leaders of the Ukrainian Jewish community. What may at first glance appear to be a formal visit has the potential to become the first step toward Israel’s rethinking of its role in the Jewish world in general and in relations with the Diaspora in particular.

Way before the founding of the State of Israel, Zionist ideologists dreamed of the central role of the new Jewish state in the Jewish world. Even back then, it was quite obvious that not every Jew in the world would decide to share their fate with the future state – certainly not right away – and therefore the question of building relations between the Jewish state and the Jewish world outside of Israel would certainly arise.

One of the models of these relations was to build a politically and economically strong state, advanced in the field of science and culture, that would serve as an inspiration for the entire Jewish world. The Jewish state was predestined to become not only the “light for all nations,” but for the Jewish nation as well. And if 70 years ago the young state had to fight for its existence and solve lots of internal problems, postponing the dreams of ideologists, today Israel is closer to the described model more than ever – and, in our opinion, it is time to look at relations with the Diaspora more broadly.

STRENGTHENING THE diaspora’s ties with the State of Israel is one of the focus areas of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. The EAJC has established close relations with the government of Israel and the Knesset, the Israeli embassies in the countries of the region and the representative offices of the EAJC member states in Israel. The congress is actively working to form an objective view of the Jewish state among opinion leaders in various countries, and also consistently advocates the active involvement of Diaspora Jewry into Israeli affairs.

According to the study conducted by the EAJC, Israel has been the critical component of Jewish identity in the former USSR countries. Social networks, communications, connections and immigration plans there mainly focused on Israel.

Solidarity with Israel is felt by 69% of the Jewish population of the post-Soviet space. Among the most attractive features of Israel, about half of those polled in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Moldova noted its Jewish character (46%) and the fact that this “economically developed state provides good opportunities for getting settled in life” (56%). Only 4% believe that “there is nothing attractive in Israel” or found it difficult to answer the question. Interestingly, 20% named Israel as their country, or Israel and their country of residence at the same time. More than 70% believe that Jews should be patriotic to both their country of residence and Israel.

Given that interest in Israel, the Jewish state should intensify its participation in the life of the Diaspora, paying special attention not only to diplomatic work, but also to active involvement of the Diaspora Jews in the discussion on issues of concern to Israeli society.

THE OPINION and voice of Jewish communities should be heard. As a result, the understanding of the complex social and political processes taking place in Israeli society among the Diaspora could be more profound as well. Ultimately, Diaspora Jews today can always become full members of Israeli society tomorrow by exercising their right to repatriate under the Law of Return.
In October 2020, former Minister of Diaspora Affairs Omer Yankelevich initiated a bill regarding contacts with Jewish communities on issues affecting Diaspora affairs that would be binding on Israeli government ministries. We supported the initiative and proposed to intensify contacts between the Israeli authorities and leaders of the Diaspora.

This approach is also shared by the current Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Nachman Shai, who took part in a meeting of the Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress in June. He declared then his readiness to cooperate with Jewish organizations representing Diaspora Jews, and also noted that, from his point of view, it is a two-way process: Just as Israel should take care of the Jews of the Diaspora and listen to their opinion, so should the Jews of the Diaspora seek contact and be interested in what is happening in Israel.

At our recent meeting, President Herzog, who previously served as the head of the Jewish Agency for Israel and is well acquainted with Jewish life in the Diaspora, supported the position of the EAJC on the realization of Israel’s function as a state of the entire Jewish people and a center for the Jewish world, expressing readiness for active cooperation with the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

All these processes give us strong hope that Israel can finally reconsider its view of relations with the Diaspora, look at the Jewish communities not only in the context of attracting aliyah, but also in terms of building a long-term, deep connection, involving Jews around the world in the discussions about where the Jewish state is headed and how it affects the Jewish world.

History shows that hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews. The danger of antisemitism to humanity is obvious, therefore our efforts to preserve the memory of the Holocaust are universal.

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, relations between Jewish communities and their host countries in that region developed significantly. This process has included a fundamental change of the Jewish organizations’ status in the political, professional, informational and other structures of their host countries.

The establishment of an organized system of Jewish communities started at the same time. An extensive system of community structures and institutions exists now in these countries. In recent years, there has also been a significant change in the international status of the Russian-speaking Jews who play a central role in the international Jewish community.

One indicator of these changes was the establishment of the Euro-Asian Delegation in 1991 and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in 2001. The EAJC has united organized Jewish community structures in the post-Soviet states, Eastern Europe and Asia. The EAJC has become an important channel of influence upon the Russian-speaking Jewish communities that now exists in 52 countries on five continents.

The Euro-Asian region is full of complex processes requiring careful and serious analysis. This prompted creation of the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies. The main objectives of the institute are to provide data to benefit the Jewish communities, to help develop Jewish education and to counteract xenophobia in the world. The Moshe Mirilashvili Center for Research on the Holocaust in the Soviet Union successfully operates under the auspices of the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad Vashem.

Antisemitic attacks have significantly declined in the former Soviet countries. However, antisemitic theories and stereotypes associated with the history of the Holocaust are still being monitored by researchers and attract public and media attention.

An increase has been recently noticed in referencing former Nazi accomplices and even portraying them as national heroes and fighters for independence. In the past, such a trend had been observed in Western Europe, but in recent years these myths had become more prevalent in the countries of the former USSR. The danger of such myths is obvious. These theories come alive and are spread through the “new media” and social networks.

The international community has condemned the denial and distortion of the Holocaust. On October 3, 2019, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the freedom of speech did not apply to denial of the genocide of Jews during WWII.

We acknowledge the urgency of the problem of antisemitism and the fact that it has taken different forms in different time periods. In the Middle Ages, Jews were hated because of their religion; in the 19th and early 20th centuries, antisemitism acquired a national and ethnic character. Today, Jews are hated because of the state of the Jewish people, the State of Israel. Since 2009, UNESCO has adopted over 70 resolutions condemning Israel and has held four World Conferences Against Racism. The first one was held in Durban in 2001 and became a manifestation of an ideological war against Israel and all its supporters worldwide.

History shows that hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews; it always leaves a negative impact on the society. The danger of antisemitism to humanity is obvious, therefore our efforts to preserve the memory of the Holocaust are universal.

In addition to recognizing the problem of antisemitism and preserving the memory of the past, it is important to thank all public and political leaders in the region for their uncompromising condemnation of antisemitism. Such statements are made in Russia and Ukraine – countries with the largest Jewish populations. On October 6, 2021, special ceremonies were held in Kyiv to commemorate the mass extermination of Jews in Babyn Yar. And in September 2021, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law “On Preventing and Countering Antisemitism in Ukraine.”

We are mindful of the past and hope that the geopolitical complexity will not put a stop to our uncompromising fight against antisemitism.