Mezuzah placed at Ukrainian Parliament Building

President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Dr. Michael Mirilashvili met with the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Razumkov.

During their first bilateral meeting, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili stressed the importance of preserving the historical memory of the Jewish community in Ukraine and taking a firm stand in view of the increasing number of acts of violence against Jewish religious, public, and educational institutions in order to prevent further escalation of antisemitic sentiment in the country.

In a moving ceremony following the meeting, a mezuzah was placed at the Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) building in Kyiv.

The Verkhovna Rada building is located at the Constitution Square. It is a typical example of neoclassical Soviet architecture from the Stalin-era. Home to a unicameral parliament, designed in a rectangular symmetric form with an octagonal session hall. The construction was initiated in 1936 and lasted until 1939. The red-and-blue Flag of Ukrainian SSR was flown on top of building for over 50 years, until it was replaced by the yellow-and-blue national Flag of Ukraine, following Ukraine’s independence in 1991.

The meeting was held in the framework of the first Summit of Eurasian Jewry opened today (November 27) in Kyiv. Jewish leaders from 32 countries of the Euro-Asian region are participating in the Summit, attended by President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, EAJC Vice-Presidents Alexander Levin, Victor Naishuller and Moshe Shvets, EAJC General Director, Haim Ben Yaakov, Editor-in-Chief of Israel Hayom Boaz Bismuth, representatives of the World Jewish Congress, and other honorary guests.