EAJC General Assembly: supporting communities during a pandemic is a main priority for the Congress

On August 5th, the EAJC General Assembly – a general meeting of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress leaders was held online. The meeting was attended by the EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili,  EAJC Board Chairman Aaron G. Frenkel, EAJC General Director Dr. Haim Ben Yakov, EAJC Vice-Presidents, as well as heads of Jewish communities of the Euro-Asian region.

EAJC President M. Mirilashvili presented a report on the EAJC activities over the past year, the main directions of the Congress’s activities and a draft Resolution supporting the statement of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), published on July 7, 2020, that condemned “all attempts to rehabilitate the reputations of persons who were complicit in the crimes of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma”.

The resolution calls on the authorities of the Euro-Asian region countries to develop legislation prohibiting the rehabilitation of Nazi collaborators and silencing their actions, proposes to officially adopt the working definition of anti-Semitism formulated by the IHRA and initiate the integration of Holocaust research into state educational programs.

The resolution was unanimously adopted by the Assembly participants.

The First Vice President of the EAJC Boris Lozhkin informed the Assembly participants about the upcoming Kiev Jewish Forum, which this year will be held online, and also presented his new project of translation into Ukrainian language and promotion of selected books on the history of Israel and the Jewish people.

EAJC Board Chairman Aaron G. Frenkel, EAJC First Vice President Teimuraz Ben-Yehuda Khikhinashvili, as well as Vice Presidents Boris Spektor, David Yakobashvili and Moshe Shvets appealed to community leaders with words of support at this difficult time.

The participants of the Assembly approved the program report on the activity of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress for the year 2019, presented by the EAJC Director General Dr. Haim Ben Yakov.

“The diversity of our projects reflects the diversity and the uniqueness of Jewish life in the Euro-Asian region. During these difficult times, we continue to support educational and social programs, as well as projects aimed at countering anti-Semitism, preserving the historical heritage of the Jewish people, perpetuating the memory of the Holocaust and supporting the State of Israel”, – said the EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili.

“We call on government leaders to counter anti-Semitism, demonization of the State of Israel and rehabilitation of persons directly or indirectly involved in the murder of Jews during the Holocaust. It is unacceptable to rewrite history, silencing or belittling crimes against Jews during World War II”, – said EAJC Director General Dr. Haim Ben Yakov.