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.

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.

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.

The meeting participants discussed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Jewish life of the Euro-Asian region, problems and challenges they face nowadays as well as plans for reorganizing community activities in the light of the current conditions.

“Despite the difficult situation, the Jewish leaders of the Euro-Asian region show a stunning presence of mind. The global crisis imposes a special responsibility on all of us, and I am convinced that we will not only pass this test with honor but also come out of this period stronger than we were before”, said the EAJC President, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili.

As part of the meeting, the EAJC Director General, Dr. Haim Ben-Yaakov presented the new EAJC online projects as well as principles, conclusions, and recommendations regarding the development of the online presence of Jewish communities and organizations.

“In these difficult days, we keep in touch with Jewish communities and organizations. We are glad to offer a helping hand in the process of rethinking and reorganizing community activities, based on our common goal of preserving the Jewish life of the Euro-Asian region,” said EAJC Director General, Dr. Haim Ben Yaakov.

In the coming days, the congressional leaders will continue a series of meetings with regional Jewish leaders. It is important for us to hear first-hand about the problems and priorities facing the Jewish communities of 26 countries affiliated with the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.

All-Russian Union of Jewish Students (RUJS)

Young volunteers of the All-Russian Union of Jewish Students delivered grocery sets to elderly members of the Samara community in Moscow. The Representative Office of the Samara Region supported the charity action initiated and held by the Representative Office of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in Russia.

The All-Russian Union of Jewish Students continues a series of online meetings, organized jointly with the Jewish Agency for Israel (Sokhnut).

The representatives of Sokhnut, Yuri Shakhar and Roman Polonsky informed the students about the internship and study opportunities in Israel, the Israeli medical insurance system, and the history of the 1990s post-Soviet aliyah. The managing partner of the Israeli investment platform JSCapital, chief editor of the IT Business Week magazine, Roman Gold told the participants about Israel’s unique innovation ecosystem.

Hillel Russia

With the beginning of the self-isolation regime, Hillel Russia continues to support Jewish youth by organizing educational activities, coordinating volunteer activities and targeted assistance programs while involving activists as project leaders.

Online Hebrew study groups have started in Moscow and St. Petersburg preserving the dynamics of traditional classroom learning. In Moscow, the Alpha+ program brought together newcomers and those continuing the fall course. In St. Petersburg, online Hebrew lessons for beginners have started.

Hillel Russia supports World War II veterans and Holocaust survivors while also engaging students in commemorative events dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazism.

In Khabarovsk and Yekaterinburg, volunteers delivered flowers and food packages to 58 veterans. In Yekaterinburg, young people gathered at ZOOM to sing their favorite songs from the World War II years together.

The World Shabbat, dedicated to the victory over Nazism, gathered 220 Russian-speaking students from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Azerbaijan. 

In Moscow, Hillel Russia gathered volunteers to decrypt documents, diaries, and letters collected by the Holocaust Foundation. In Yekaterinburg, the evening in memory of the Holocaust victims and heroes of the resistance concluded with a minute of silence.

Hillel CASE

As part of the Hillel Art Labs project, dozens of students took part in the workshops on creative thinking by the actress and director Julia Savina.

The regional Quiz Box games continue gaining popularity among the youth of Hillel. During this difficult period, the Quiz Box project, which combines fun and Jewish education, became the flagship and inspiration for other Jewish projects in the region. Dozens of teams from different countries take part in Quiz Box games.

Students of the CASE region took part in the World Shabbat initiative, which brought together Jewish youth from Khabarovsk to Baku. Over 170 connections in Zoom, over 100 views on FB.

The Limmud Brain Labs project attracted 35 teams and more than 150 participants to its traditional game.

The Be-in-Touch volunteer project has started helping single elderly members of the Jewish community, World War II veterans, and children with disabilities. The project operates in Minsk, Kiev, Dnieper, Kharkov, Odessa, and Lviv. Over the course of three months, students will deliver grocery packages as well as maintain regular communication with people who need support during this difficult period.

In total, over a thousand students take part in Hillel’s programs, including English and Hebrew study groups, educational and entertainment projects, quizzes, and flashmobs.

Representative office of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in Central Asia (Mitsva Association)

The Torah study project “On the Road” continues its popular classes online. For more than 20 years, representatives of different generations have gathered to learn the wisdom of the Torah, and they didn’t stop now.

People from Kazakhstan, who had previously attended the classes at the Rimon Jewish Community Center, these days, resumed their participation online. Natalia Rynkovskaya, the longtime teacher of the project, notes that although classroom teaching is more effective, the recent online experience can be useful for conducting classes with an international audience.

The youngsters of the Pavlodar Jewish community were among the winners of the competition dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany. The young leaders of the Merkaz ethnocultural association were the best in the creative contest “In Memory of the War Heroes”.

Ten young activists of the Jewish community of Almaty took part in the international flashmob honoring the Jerusalem Day. 200 peers from the CIS countries confessed their love to the capital of Israel, the spiritual center of the Jewish people.

During a series of lessons about Ashkenazi Jewish culture, young community leaders acquainted the traditions of Eastern European Jews as well as the atmosphere of Jewish shtetls. In August, the School of Madrichs’s students will conduct community classes dedicated to the unique culture of the Eastern European Jewry.

For two months now, the Shaat Hebrew Club is holding its lessons online. The audience of the Club has expanded significantly, including not only Almaty residents but also representatives of other Kazakhstan Jewish communities.

Hatikvah is a symbol that has developed a variety of significations in performances carried out in different contexts and times. Despite the pandemic shutdown, young Jews from six countries joined in to sing Hatikvah and congratulate the State of Israel on its 72nd birthday. Thank you, Hillel CASE!

Hillel CASE unites one program center with 13 regional organizations, working with young Jewish adults in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is proud to support one of the FSU leading Jewish student organizations.

The film’s uniqueness also lies in the fact that it was created by the 17-year-old high school student Grigoryi Mouromtsev, a grandson of Oleg Mortkovich, head of the Moscow Public Organization of Jewish former prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps.

Mortkovich’s parents perished 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.

The famous writer Alexander Gelman also reveals the story of his childhood years. The Gelman family was deported to the Bershad ghetto in Transnistria, and of the 14 members of the writer’s family, only he and his father survived.

Being an EAJC member, the International Public Organization of Jewish former juvenile prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps provides medical and socio-psychological support to the Holocaust survivors, as well as to preserves and passes on the living memory of the Holocaust to the younger generation.

In these difficult days, operational headquarters have been set up to keep constant contact and provide support to the Holocaust survivors, many of whom need patronage.

You can also help and support the organization with a donation of any size holocaustwitnesses.com

We can count on a bright future only by relying on memory and constantly learning from our common history.

The Jewish community of Kazakhstan

Online Seder, organized by the Jewish community of Kazakhstan on the online platform of the Rimon Jewish community center (Almaty), gathered more than 60 people from Russia, Germany, Israel, Moldova, and Kazakhstan.

The participants prepared everything necessary for the Seder: each table was decorated with the Seder Plate – a special plate containing symbolic Pesach foods. Young community leaders talked about the importance of Passover in Jewish tradition; adults taught kids the fascinating story of Pesach.

During the online Shabbat meetings, the community helped those wishing to recall Pesach traditions and prepare for Seder. In the following days of the eight-day holiday, activists of the Kazakhstan Jewish community continued to discuss Pesach traditions in classes and on discussion platforms of the youth and family club of the Rimon Jewish community center while the community volunteers introduced the holiday traditions for the kids from the virtual development center, operating at the community kindergarten of Almaty.

Hillel Russia

Hillel Russia launched a special online program Pesach Doma, which, among other things, contains online materials for preparing the Seder and online consultations for developing a personalized Seder scenario.

Hillel Russia delivered 130 sets for the holding of Seder, and also released an online Agada available for free download.

The Hillel community leaders conducted an online Seder in Khabarovsk, Novosibirsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Penza, and Yekaterinburg.

Hillel CASE

Hillel CASE organized a three-hour Passover marathon as part of the TEDx Online Shemot regional conference. 15 speakers told the participants about the history and traditions of the holiday, held educational quizzes and a master class on making matzah from scratch, and also offered recommendations for holding a Seder at home.

As part of the Cooking Battle project, Hillel Minsk held an online culinary battle dedicated to Passover: two chefs not only prepared Pesach dishes but also conducted an educational program on the history and traditions of the holiday.

During the three-day online seminar, students from Minsk and Odessa took part in a fascinating quest devoted to the history of Passover. Together, they went from slavery to freedom, tried to deal with their personal Egypt, and talked about the value of Eretz Israel.

Students of local Hillels took part in volunteer campaigns for the contactless delivery of matzah and Pesach sets.

All-Russian Union of Jewish Students (RUJS)

Activists of the All-Russian Union of Jewish Students together with the Moscow Jewish Community House (MEOD) and with the support of the EAJC, delivered matzah and kosher juice to the members of the Integration Project for Jewish children with disabilities and the Sheket program to assist deaf and hard-of-hearing Jews.

As part of the online meeting “Let my people go: what Kabbalah says about Pesach and the current situation,” Rabbi Alex Artovsky told Jewish students about the symbolism of Passover in a pandemic crisis.

The Jewish community of Azerbaijan

On the eve of Passover, the Jewish community of Azerbaijan came to the aid of single and needy: young community volunteers, provided with all the necessary protection, delivered gift parcels with kosher food and matzah for the Seder. Community volunteers liaise with older and single people to help them buy food or medicine if necessary. 

Special thanks go to the Rabbi Shneor Segal, the Chief Rabbi at the Jewish Community of European Jews Synagogue in Baku, and the EAJC Vice President, German Zakharyaev who initiated and organized the community’s activity during these difficult days.

The Jewish community of Albania 

Geront Kureta, president of the Albanian Jewish community, numbering about 50 people, sent warm congratulations to all EAJC communities and assured us that all members of the community, who mainly live in the capital of Albania, Tirana, are safe and sound. 

The Jewish community of Georgia

Volunteers and employees of the Jewish community of Tbilisi have stepped up to bring the Aggadah and matzah to the community members who are at risk from the coronavirus – sealed bags were left at the door. A community-organized online Seder has brought together about 25 families.

The Jewish community of Ukraine 

All-Ukrainian Jewish Congress, together with the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress made a joint decision to help Jewish communities and organizations of Ukraine to hold the Seder.

Despite the complicated situation dictating strict requirements, the community leaders, with the support of the EAJC, did everything possible to ensure a festive atmosphere in Jewish families. The EAJC leaders turned to the Ukrainian Jewish communities and organizations with a request to give maximum attention to the elderly and veterans. 

The Jewish community of Moldova

The Jewish community of Moldova invited everyone to the online Seder. Despite the difficulties, the community activists made sure that all Seder tables had matzah, while elderly and socially vulnerable members of the community received kosher food packages as well.

The community has launched a special hotline and is coordinating all the efforts, taking into account all Jewish organizations of Moldova. “These days, we provide assistance to everyone who needs it, and we will continue doing so, despite the prevailing difficult circumstances,” said Aleksandr Bilinkis, the president of the Jewish community of Moldova and the EAJC vice-president. The provides individual means of protection and food to members of the community who are at risk from coronavirus.

The Jewish community of Armenia

At the last moment, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress managed to deliver 300 kg of matzah to the Jewish community of Armenia. Head of the Jewish community of Armenia, Rima Varzhapetyan conveyed deep gratitude and greetings for Pesach: “We wish that the spark of hope never fades! Enjoy peace and happiness, love and prosperity, harmony and joy. We all can safely get out of captivity and quarantine. Hag Sameach!”

The Jewish Community of Croatia

These troubled days, we would like to especially greet the Jewish community Beit Israel in Zagreb, whose building was damaged by a recent powerful earthquake. The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress sent emergency financial assistance to repair the building. Hag Sameaсh!

Dear friends, stay home and take good care of yourself and your loved ones. We wish you health, good luck, and an early end to this unfortunate situation.

We are grateful to all involved: the Director of the Or Avner International Fund, Rabbi Dovid Mondshayn as well as Merab Changchalashvili, Guram Batiashvili, Elena Berkovich, Alexander Baron, Rimma Vardzhapetyan, Shota Mireli, Irina Shcherban, Evgenia Lvova, Vladimir Kritsman, Alexander Suminuvendu Bilinisand Liliane Vukovich, Rabbi Arya Edelkopfu.

On Sunday, following negotiations with local authorities, more than 300 kg of matzah were transported from Georgia to the Jewish community in Armenia.

As part of an annual project that has operated for more than 15 years, EAJC provides matzah and other holiday essentials for needy and underprivileged members of the Jewish communities in the Euro-Asian region. This year, the project’s organizers received a record number of calls from communities experiencing more difficulty in accessing such items in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

EAJC support helped the Moscow Public Organization of former Jewish prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps to acquire and deliver medicine, matzah and kosher-food packages. The head of the organization, Oleg Mortkovich, said that operational headquarters have already been set up, and that they remain in constant contact with the Holocaust survivors.

The Integration Project for Jewish children with disabilities in Moscow, as well as the Sheket program to assist deaf and hard-of-hearing Jews, have also received matzah and kosher juice as Passover gifts.

“In addition to the matzah supply, we have provided emergency financial assistance to the Jewish communities and organizations affiliated with the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress,” said president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili. “The world is experiencing a pandemic, and we all need to mobilize so that Jewish life in the Diaspora does not fade away.”

“In the current situation, many of our sponsors could not provide donations, and we have to take emergency measures to support those who are vulnerable—many of whom are at risk from coronavirus. In such a difficult time, people will feel that they are not alone, and that the Jewish community thinks and cares about them,” said Irina Shcherban, head of the Moscow Jewish Community House and the Association of Jewish Community Centers of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Irina Shcherban, head of the Moscow Jewish Community House and the Association of Jewish Community Centers of the CIS, about the activities of the Sheket program for deaf and hard-of-hearing Jews and the Integration project for Jewish children with disabilities: “In the current situation of the coronavirus pandemic, many of our sponsors could not transfer their donations, and we have to take emergency measures to support people, many of whom are at risk from coronavirus. We received emergency financial assistance from the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress; students from the All-Russian Union of Jewish Students (RUJS) and other volunteers are helping us to manage. Psychologists and social workers maintain daily contact with our wards, we try to solve their problems. These days, student volunteers from the All-Russian Union of Jewish Students are delivering matzah and juice for our wards as a little gift and joy for the upcoming Pesach. ”

Many social projects have stepped up their efforts to support people on these difficult days.

Oleg Mortkovich, the head of the Moscow Public Organization of Jewish former prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps, informed us that an operational headquarters of five people has been created, and they are constantly in contact with the Holocaust survivors. The timely support of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress allowed the organization to acquire and deliver medicines and kosher food packages for the upcoming Pesach.

Activists of the Jewish communities of the Euro-Asian region are striving to solve the most pressing challenges while making their contribution to the fight against the spread of the pandemic.

Concerned over the shortage of protective masks, activists of the Jewish community of Montenegro sewed from scratch and delivered face masks to all members of the Jewish community of Montenegro. And they did not stop there: hundreds of homemade protective masks have been already donated to the medical center in Podgorica.

In the current emergency, the Jewish community of the Philippines has been faced with the problem of financing the synagogue and the community. However, a solution was found: now, kosher food is prepared daily in the kitchen space at the synagogue.

“Due to the restrictions in the pandemic situation, logistics related to the supply of food, cooking, and delivery was complicated, but we have managed to overcome the difficulties and already receive a huge number of orders for kosher food delivery,” said Lee Blumenthal, executive director of the Jewish community of the Philippines.“The EAJC leadership has decided to provide emergency assistance to the Jewish communities and organizations affiliated with the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. The world is in a pandemic situation, and we all need to mobilize so that Jewish life does not fade away. In this regard, we will focus on developing online projects and addressing the most pressing problems facing communities and organizations in the Euro-Asian region, ”said President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili.