RJC Monitor - 05.16.2003

 

The Russian Jewish Congress

“PANEL DISCUSSION” AT “ECHO MOSKVY” 

On the 7th of May radio “Echo Moskvy” held a “panel discussion” dedicated to Iraqi events. The main editor of the magazine “Russia in global policy” Fyodor Lukyanov, the director of the Middle East Conflicts Analytic Centre of the US and Canada Institute (included in Russian Scientific Academy) Aleksander Shumilin, the Arab world scientist Georgiy Mirsky and the Russian Jewish Congress president, the head of the Israeli and Middle East Studies Institute Evgeniy Satanovsky participated in dispute.

An hour and a half during the program experts discussed possibilities of the peace settlement between Palestine and Israel according to the blueprint “Road map”, creation of the “modern democratic state” in Iraq, mainstreams of American policy and perspectives of Russia in the Middle East. The general mood of the dispute was a long way from optimism. Former “Baas” functionaries and secret service officers (now dissolved among the crowd) are predicted to return to a power not later then in autumn in many regions if not in the whole country. On the way law and order reinstallation considerable number of victims among American and British forces allocated in the territory of the country can not be excluded, because pillage and large-scale looting is the base of Iraqi economy now. Experts were skeptic about the success of the Palestinian and Israeli settlement and the blueprint “Road Map”, which was recognized to have much more relationship with the American interior policy then with real conflict settlement. 

RJC PRESIDENT’S WORKING VISIT TO ISRAEL

Russian Jewish Congress president Evgeniy Satanovsky from the 8th to the 12th of May made a working visit to Israel. During the trip he had meetings with Israeli government high-ranked officials, Jewish agency “Sohnut” representatives, visited directions of the Jewish university in Jerusalem and Strategic Studies Institute in Herzlia.

During the meeting with Minister responsible for Jerusalem and Diaspora affairs Natan Sharansky different points of Russian-Israeli cooperation were discussed as well as Russian and Israeli interests promotion in the West and primarily in the US among Russian-speaking Jewish Diaspora. Questions connected with the Middle East settlement and Russian-Israeli relations in the context of Russian influence in Iran and Arab countries were also touched.

Evgeniy Satanovskiy discussed with the “Sohnut” management strategic questions of cooperation and, particularly, the creation of collaborative educational centre in Moscow.

At the meeting with the management of Strategic Studies Institute in Herzlia sides discussed a long-term cooperation program, which is to underlie the Russian-Israeli partnership and the entrance of Russia on the level with the US and the EU as a participant of the annual conference held by Institute from the autumn 2003. A number of conference and “penal discussion” with Russian and Israeli experts dealt with Middle East issues and security were planned to conduct as in Israel as in Russia. These events should open a new page in professional contacts of the Middle East specialists of both countries.

The visit to the Jewish University in Jerusalem included meeting with the management of the East-European Jewish Studies Centre of Chase and an hour and a half conversation with the university president Khaim Rabinovich, dedicated to general aspects of Russian-Israeli cooperation and interaction programs between RJC and Jewish University in Moscow and Jerusalem University. Several new programs were designed to realize in autumn 2003.

VICTORY DAY IN MEMORIAL SYNAGOGUE 

On the 9th of May a solemn sacred worship in Memorial synagogue on Poklonnaya Gora was serviced in honor of the Victory Day. The hall was overcrowded and the synagogue could not house all comers. The festive concert followed after the prayer. Chamber choir “Khasidskaya capella” headed by Aleksander Tsalyuka and Memorial synagogue cantor Yuriy Edelman took part in it. Deputy chief of Moscow public relations and religious affairs department Konstantin Blazhenov, director of American Jewish united distributing committee “Joint” representative office in Moscow Shmuel Kesler, rabbi Berl Tsisin, Jewish religious associations and organizations in Russia Congress president rabbi Zinoviy Kogan and Vatican ambassador monsignor Mennini congratulated veterans. 

RJC OPENED OFFICE IN NEW YORK

Russian Jewish Congress opened its representative office in New York on the RJC Friends Community base.

Main goals of the representative office are to inform American society (including Jewish Russian-speaking and English-speaking communities) about RJC activities; to search for partners in realization of welfare projects; to coordinate initiatives targeted to solve problems of Jews in Diaspora and promote events supporting Israel; RJC media-integration into the Russian-speaking informational field in the US.

Representative office address: 333 Seventh Avenue, 17 Floor, New York, NY 1001.

Phone: (212)613-1495
Fax: (212)629-0921
e-mail: annareznik@hotmail.com 

Head of the office — Anna Reznik. 

RJC VICE-PRESIDENT’S WORKING-VISIT TO THE US 

RJC vice-president Yuriy Raskin made a working visit to the US from the 1st to the 12th of May. RJC vice-president participated in the 97th annual American Jewish Committee meeting and the 10th Jewish leaders World conference.

Annual American Jewish Committee meeting gathers hundreds of participants from the US and other countries. It is one of the mayor events in American Jewish life where the most urgent questions are discussed.

Yuriy Raskin took part in several meetings with the management of the leading Jewish organizations in the US, Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Ukrainian and Belarusian communities, participating in forum. There were also working meetings with the management of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), Conference of Advocates on behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia (NCSJ), New York Jewish Federation and other organizations. High-priority projects connected with education, Holocaust victims’ commemoration, juvenile programs, publishing and informational activities as well as collaboration between Committee on behalf of Israel created on the RJC base and analogical institutes in the US were discussed.

Meetings resulted a treaty with chiefs of leading Russian-speaking American media newspapers “Novoye Russkoye slovo” and “Forverts”. It provides cooperation and informational exchange between American editions and weekly newspaper “Jewish news” founded by RJC.

RJC PRESIDENT’S LECTURE IN MGIMO 

On the 13th of May Russian Jewish Congress president Evgeniy Satanovsky read a lecture in Russian Foreign Office University. It dealt with Russian policy in the Middle East region after the Iraqi war.

Lecture gathered a considerable amount of MGIMO and Institute of Asian and African countries students and professors. Lecturer answered lots of questions connected mainly with the blueprint Road map which is supposed to resolve a conflict between Palestine and Israel, and with Syrian-Israeli relations. It is worth to note that not only Russian students asked questions but Syrian and Israeli citizens did it too.

Meeting with MGIMO president Anatoliy Torkunov resulted a decision: RJC president will hold master-classes in the university twice a month from this autumn. 

MEETING WITH NATAN SHARANSKY, MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR JERUSALEM AND DIASPORA AFFAIRS 

Visiting Russia Minister responsible for Jerusalem and Diaspora affairs Natan Sharansky on the 15th of May held meetings with the Jewish establishment in Russia including representatives of RJC, Jewish leaders in Russia Conference and Committee of Solidarity with Israeli people. Meeting was conducted in the Israeli embassy in Russia. Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Israeli State in Russia Arcadiy Mil-Man, embassy employees and ministry officials participated in it. From Russian side RJC president Evgeniy Satanovsky, RJC executive vice-president Yuriy Raskin and Moscow Jewish Community vice - president Pavel Feldblyum took part in the meeting.

They discussed a situation on the field of Russian-Jewish collaboration and its perspectives; possibilities to lobby by Israeli side the unblocking of Russian-Israeli collaboration in the American establishment (there are some questions in bilateral relations and relations with other countries, which challenge the US resistance). The collaboration between Russian Jewish Diaspora and Israeli State and its features were also discussed.

This meeting can be the first stage of strategic collaboration between Russian-speaking Jewish leaders living in Russia and Israel now.