EAJC Update -  October 2003

 

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress




CONGRATULATION BY THE EURO-ASIAN JEWISH CONGRESS (EAJC) LEADERS ON SUKKOT FESTIVAL

THE EURO-ASIAN JEWISH CONGRESS (EAJC) CONGRATULATES ON THE OCCASION OF THE JEWISH HOLIDAY SIMHAT TORAH

ANNOUNCEMENT: 60 Years Since Minsk Ghetto Liquidation

Fighting Anti-Semitism in Europe

Conference “Civilizational Aspects of Unity of the Muslim Community” / Speech by Chief Rabbi of Russia

Statement by Prime Minister of Malaysia / Reaction of EAJC

Announcement: “Menorah” Newspaper 10th Anniversary / EAJC Leaders’ Congratulations

ANNOUNCEMENT: Inauguration of the President of Azerbaijan / Congratulation by EAJC President

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CONGRATULATION BY THE EURO-ASIAN JEWISH CONGRESS (EAJC) LEADERS ON SUKKOT FESTIVAL

Dear friends!

On behalf of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) we cordially congratulate you on the Sukkot festival!

On the days of the festival the Jews finish harvesting. And it is not only the fruit of the earth nourishing the body, but also creative work of the soul, which gives peace and consent.

By the present harvest the Jewry of Eurasia has grown fine crops of good deeds. The main fruit of our work is new positive achievements on the road of the inter-religious dialog conducted under the aegis of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev.

In the capital of Kazakhstan, the city of Astana, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress took an active part in the Congress of World and Traditional-National Religions where an essential step to mutual understanding between spiritual leaders Judaism and Islam was made.

During the Sukkot the tradition calls on the Jews to build tents (sukkiot) in memory of the people of Israel’s road to freedom and justice. Today, when hierarchs of the world spread and traditional-national religions are undertaking construction of a similar «tent of peace» at the global level, they need support of all people of the planet so that the dialog and tolerance of faiths become a reality. Our participation is necessary for them also, — let us not forget, that exactly at the Sukkot festival, in the Jerusalem Temple the Jews made sacrifices for all peoples.

Let the Supreme bless you with the Sukkot festival for good deeds, and let work of each person on the field of peace and consent yield generous crops at all times!


THE EURO-ASIAN JEWISH CONGRESS (EAJC) CONGRATULATES ON THE OCCASION OF THE JEWISH HOLIDAY SIMHAT TORAH

Dear friends:

On behalf of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) we congratulate you on the holiday of Simhat Torah.

These days the Jewish people are finishing the annual reading of the roll of the Torah. Each time, reading chapters of this most important message by the Supreme, the Jews open for themselves new dimensions of the laws of being, righteousness, and piety.

Comprehension of commandments, with which in the current year the Torah again has enriched the Jewish people, has led us to work on strengthening dialog with representatives of other civilizations and cultures.

We are convinced, that observance of the precepts of the Supreme will lead mankind to peace and consent.

Let the new cycle of reading the sacred Torah, the anticipation of which the Jews mark on the days of Simhat Torah, will add up good and love to your life!


ANNOUNCEMENT: 60 Years Since Minsk Ghetto Liquidation / The EAJC President’s Message

Minsk, Belarus, October 2003

Last decade of October of 2003, in the capital of Belarus there will be memorable events devoted to the 60-th anniversary of liquidation of the Minsk Jewish ghetto.

The actions will pass under the initiative of the Union of the Belarus Jewish Public Associations and Communities.

President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Alexander Machkevitch directed his message to Minsk (see Appendix).

Append.:
MESSAGE BY EURO-ASIAN JEWISH CONGRESS (EAJC) PRESINDENT
ALEXANDER A. MACHKEVITCH TO PARTICIPANTS OF EVENTS
DEVOTED TO 60-TH YEAR SINCE LIQUIDATION OF MINSK GHETTO

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

These days 60 years ago, the Nazis and their accomplices planned to finally solve «the Jewish question» in Belarus. Together with the last prisoners of the Minsk ghetto, one of the greatest Jewish communities of the planet — the Belarus Jewry — had to perish.

But the plans of the Nazis could not come true. Owing to selfless valor of the Red Army men, exclusive heroism of the guerrillas and to sacrificial courage of the Hasidei Umot Haolam — the righteous persons of the world — many Belarus Jews could survive.

The memories of my fellow tribesmen «litvaks» and their neighbors on the Belarus ground have carefully stored the positive experience of almost a thousand-year coexistence of our peoples in peace and consent — that is the invaluable gift which could not be destroyed either the fascists, or their modern followers.

Unfortunately, the majority of the Jews of Belarus, who became innocent victims of the hitlerites, can never more take advantage of the gift. Like all 6 000 000 of the European Jews and also a significant number of Byelorussians, they were destroyed for the sake of triumph of the misanthropic ideology of Nazi madness.

The world until now continues to take lessons from the tragedy of Holocaust. Only to the present leaders of the Republic of Belarus headed by President Alexander Lukashenko, it has become possible to break the tendency of nationalist anti-Semitism smoldering still since post-war Stalin times.

Today, underway on the road of tests and mistakes anew, the Jewry of Belarus is reviving its communal life. Certainly, it has yet a long way to go to that pre-war level when Jewish was one of the state languages of Belarus, and the world scale of work by the Belarus Jews helped the young Soviet republic in building its sovereignty.

However, we, the Belarus Jews and their descendants, to whose number I proudly reckon myself, we remember our roots and we shall help the land, on which our fathers and grandfathers lived, successfully adapt to challenges of the present.

One of such challenges has become a necessity of large-scale interethnic and interreligious dialog. Representatives of many peoples and faiths, accusing each other of making use of the globalization processes for destroying traditions and cultures, have been calling their fellow tribesmen and coreligionists for resistance, in which more often than not the political extremism rearing modern terrorism has been the basis.

In order to prevent a new Holocaust, a new genocide, new religious conflicts and war of civilizations, heads of states, hierarchs of faiths and leaders of Diasporas must be united in struggle against the international terror. Only together it is possible to develop mechanisms allowing peoples and ex-territorial communities to accept achievements of the epoch of the “uniform world” without threat to their existence and their values.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress participates in this dialog, which is taking place under the aegis of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev within the framework of the International Conference of Peace and Accord in Almaty and of the World and Traditional National Religions Congress in Astana. Represented by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Jewish organizations of the 3 continents from New Zealand up to Moldova included in its structure, participated in these international forums. We also promoted participation of high representatives of the State of Israel, leaders of most prominent American and West-European Jewish organizations in the dialog.

Thus, all the Belarus Jewry take part in the present-day global movement to peace and stability, because descendants of the natives of Belarus make an essential part of the majority of the Jewish communities of the world. Let the reviving union between the Republic of Belarus and the international Jewish Diaspora provide to all a stable and happy future!

Alexander Machkevitch,
Euro-Asian Jewish Congress President


Fighting Anti-Semitism in Europe / Comments by the EAJC President

October-November 2003

Two incidents in recent weeks demonstrated that positive action could be taken to confront serious manifestations of anti-Semitism.

International attention had focused on the actions of Oxford University Professor Andrew Wilky in Great Britain, who refused to accept an Israeli student, telling her, “I am certain that you are a remarkable person, but under no conditions shall I take a person who served in the Israeli army.” The University strongly criticized this behavior and suspended the professor without pay. According to the Jewish Telegraph Agency (October 27, 2003) when that suspension was about to become a dismissal, the professor submitted his resignation.

In early October, Martin Hohmann, a Christian Democrat and Member of the German Parliament, delivered a speech in which he compared the role of Nazis in German history to that of “Jewish Bolsheviks” in the history of Russia and the rise of Communism, declaring Jews to be a “persecutor people.” He was condemned by the leaders of his party and urged to resign. When it later emerged that the Commander of Germany’s Special Forces, General Reinhard Guenzel, sent the parliamentarian a letter praising him for his “courage” in saying such things, Defense Minister Peter Struck insisted on the general’s immediate resignation. “The case is now closed,” the minister was reported saying in an Associated Press account (November 4, 2003).

In taking note of these developments, Alexander Machkevitch, President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, pointed out that they occurred in countries of the European Union, where an increasingly pro-Palestinian bias is becoming an integral element of foreign policy.

“The EAJC has repeatedly expressed concern that Middle East policy in these countries is influenced by the positions of marginal groups, whose adherence to common principles of tolerance is questionable, and thus may not reflect the opinions of a majority of Europeans,” Alexander Machkevitch said. “However, when influential national institutions recognized that they confronted Nazi-like populist efforts, they were able to act properly, as the British and German examples illustrate.”

The EAJC President also expressed his belief that European religious leaders and organizations are able to make a positive contribution in these struggles through international and inter-confessional dialogue. At the end of his interview, he cited the recent World Religions Conference in Astana, organized at the initiative of Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbaev, as a tangible means of bringing European religious leaders closer together. “We shall continue along this path,” he said, “because there simply is not any other equally effective way of promoting tolerance and understanding in these difficult times.”


Conference “Civilizational Aspects of Unity of the Muslim Community” / Speech by Chief Rabbi of Russia

Moscow, Russia, October 16, 2003

In his speech at the international forum in Moscow, Chief Rabbi of Russia, Vice-President of the Council of Rabbis of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Adolf Shaevich noted, that the problems of intra-confessional unity discussed at the Islamic Conference, are peculiar also to the Jewish organizations: "Having no right to give advice, I want to attract, however, your attention to the experience of inter-confessional cooperation in our country. Probably, some elements of obviously successful activity, directed at strengthening the interreligious dialog, spirit of tolerance, and mutual respect can be transferred to solving intra-confessional problems".

The Chief Rabbi of Russia highly estimated speeches by Secretary General of the World Organization for Rapprochement of Islamic Schools Ayatollah Muhammad Tas’hiri, who quoted the Qur’an: "Do not humiliate other faiths — it can lead to humiliation of your faith", and Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran Golamreza Shafei, who emphasized, that it is always possible to find a way to peace and cooperation.

To the request to comment the statement by Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad, at the 10th session of the organization "Islamic Conference" Rabbi A. Shaevich answered: "After today's meeting in Moscow, it was very unpleasant to learn about that statement. Such an approach to solving inter-confessional and interethnic problems will result in bloodshed and innumerable victims. In my opinion, such a position will not solve problems neither inside of the Islamic world, nor in the world in general".

According to Head of the Department for Public Relations of Moscow Jewish Religious Community (MJRC) Vladimir Pliss, the International Conference, which opened in Moscow on October 16, 2003 informed, was organized by the Council of Muftis of Russia and the World Organization for Rapprochement of Islamic Schools.



Statement by Prime Minister of Malaysia / Reaction of EAJC Secretary General 

Moscow, Russia, October 17, 2003.

Journalists addressed Professor Michael Chlenov, Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Secretary General, President of the Federation of Jewish Organizations and Communities — the Vaad of Russia, Chairman of the Federal Jewish National-Cultural Autonomy of the Russian Federation (FJNCA), with a request to comment the anti-Semitic appeals by the "host” to the Organization «Islamic Conference» (OIC) summit, Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad.

M. Chlenov: Impressing social and economic achievements of Malaysia in the last decades in many respects are connected to the name of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. It would seem that Malaysia, having achieved impressive economic growth, should show the Muslim world an example of openness of thinking and tolerance.

However, an obstacle to this for many years, however surprising it is, is the figure of the prime minister. Heading the government of the state, where no Jew is living, this politician, who obviously adheres to anti-Semitic views, has widely opened doors to the most barefaced anti-Semitism making a gloomy background to the public life of Malaysia.

Clear to us are complex political problems of that country where the ethnic Malayans have been trying to balance out a powerful contribution of the Chinese and Indian communities making almost half of the population.

However, no political reasons can be an excuse to solving internal conflicts at the expense of the Jews, neither having any guilt nor being in any way present in the life of Malaysia. The policy carried out by Mahathir Mohamad over several tens of years, greatly weakens the authority of Malaysia in the world community.

Not occasionally that country in the last years has turned to a refuge of the most unbridled Islamic radicals in the Southeast Asia, in particular, of the organization «Jema’a Islamiyya», whose conscience bears blood of hundreds of victims of terrorist acts.

Quite unacceptable is Mahathir Mohamad’s speech at the last session of the OIC. His vision of the modern world order as continuation of "wars of civilizations” with barefaced anti-Semitic motive is a serious challenge both to many million-strong people of Malaysia, and to many other peoples, which did not expect to bump into a recurrence of the Durban syndrome, when they directed their leaders to the summit.

Mahathir, actually, supported the international activity of Moslems radicals and others obscurantists whose appeals are a nutrient medium for irreconcilability and terror. By that he obviously compromised himself, the people of his country, the OIC, leaders of the Muslim countries, and the President of Russia, who arrived with a proposition of cooperation.

At the same time, we do not doubt, that the course to dialog with the world of Islam which the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress has carried out, is chosen by us correctly and we are deeply convinced, that there are more friends than enemies and haters of the Jews. The states, which want to be accepted to the respectable club of progressive civilized countries, and to them, certainly, Malaysia undoubtedly belongs, will manage to take lessons out of precipitate or preconvinced statements of their leaders.

It is pleasant to know that the era of Mahathir in Malaysia is coming to an end. Together with it, as it would be desirable to think, all the dark sides of the public life will become things of the past: that is, ethnic intolerance and, not in the last instance, political radicalism and anti-Semitism, and also numerous infringements of human rights and democratic principles. I am confident, that the Malaysian people will finally get from the future leader of Malaysia an unambiguous political estimation of the activity of his predecessor.



Statements by Prime Minister of Malaysia / EAJC President Position

Almaty, Kazakhstan, October 22, 2003.

After Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad’s yet another anti-Semitic statement, journalists addressed for comments to the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) President, President of the Jewish Congress of Kazakhstan Alexander Machkevitch.

A. Machkevitch: I sincerely regret that Mahathir Mohamad continues to persist in his anti-Semitism, thus undermining the authority of Malaysia not only in the opinion of the Jewish public, but also in the majority of the states of the Islamic world.

After decades of crises and wars in the Near East, the followers of Judaism and Islam have at last obtained a chance to solve the conflict with the help of truths of the interreligious Dialog uniting us.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress uniting the Jews of 3 continents, together with President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev, leaders of other Central-Asian states, hierarchs of world and traditional-national faiths began the Dialog, and no extremists can stop it.

Moreover, estimating the first results of the Dialog, I want to emphasize, that Mohamad’s statements do not reflect opinions and intentions of the overwhelming majority of citizens and heads of the Muslim states of the planet, including those having tensed relations with Israel.

I am convinced, that the same position is inherent to the majority of Moslems and members of the leadership of Malaysia who will make an appropriate estimation to the anti-Semitic statement s of the present Prime Minister of the country.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is offering its hand of friendship to the Malaysian people and invites it to join our Dialog in the name of peace and stability on the entire planet.


Announcement: “Menorah” Newspaper 10th Anniversary / EAJC Leaders’ Congratulations

Tbilisi, Georgia, October 23, 2003

On October 23, 2003, celebrations will take place at the Tbilisi Academic Theater on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Georgian Jewry’s newspaper “Menorah”.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) leaders directed their congratulations to the festivities participants (see Append.).

Append.:

EURO-ASIAN JEWISH CONGRESS (EAJC) LEADERS’ CONGRATULATIONS

Dear friends and colleagues:

On behalf of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) uniting the Jews of the 3 continents, we cordially congratulate the editorial staff and the readers of the Georgian Jewish newspaper "Menorah" on its 10th anniversary!

The history of the Jewry of Georgia, which had started more than 2,5 thousand years ago, by the right, has become one of the brightest pages in the annals of all the Jewish people. Preserving the traditions of the Home of Israel and being worthy citizens of the Georgian state, the Jews of Georgia have largely contributed to the treasury of the world culture, science and art. Successes of the Georgian Jews in medicine, business, in public service, and, certainly, on «the Jewish street» are widely known.

At one time the Georgian Jews were a powerful element in the movement for the right for aliya from the former USSR. Today we see how, from the moment of setting up the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, the Jewish Community of Georgia has been actively working in it, including one of its leaders, member of our General Council Dzhemal Adzhiashvili.

We are grateful to Vice-President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, a talented businessman and generous patron of arts David Yakobashvili for his constant participation in our affairs. And, certainly, we are proud of our friendship with the voice of the Georgian Jewry - newspaper "Menorah".

Nowadays the voice of the Jewry of Georgia can be heard not only in the Caucasus. A lot of Georgian Jews live on the huge space from New Zealand up to Moldova – there where our Euro-Asian Jewish Congress operates. Together with Guram Batiashvili we worked for organizing incorporation of the World Congress of the Georgian Jews in the structure of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. We want to emphasize especially, that an important role in the success of this initiative was played by traditional tolerance of the Jewry of Georgia, of all the Georgian people.

Your community is for us a sample of cooperation between various groups of the Jewish world: Russian-speaking Ashkenazim, Kartvelian Sephardim, and descendants of the natives of Persia. And we are convinced, that one of the bases to this friendship has become "Menorah" whose light warms the hearts of each Georgian Jew wherever she or he now is.

Let your excellent newspaper continue to serve as a beacon of dialog and mutual understanding on the ancient Caucasian ground!





ANNOUNCEMENT: Inauguration of the President of Azerbaijan / Congratulation by EAJC President

Baku, Azerbaijan, October 2003

At the end of October 2003, a solemn ceremony of inauguration of the newly elected President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev will take place in Baku.

On the occasion, President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Alexander Machkevitch sent his congratulation to the head of the Azerbaijan Republic (see Appendix).

Append.:

CONGRATULATION By PRESIDENT of the EURO-ASIAN JEWISH CONGRESS (EAJC)

To I. H. Aliev,

President of the Azerbaijan Republic

Dear President Aliev!

On behalf of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) uniting the Jews of the 3 continents, I cordially congratulate you on the assumption of the office of President of the Azerbaijan Republic.

The history of the Azerbaijan Jewry originates in the depth of centuries and has a really unique character. In those remote times the Jews in the administration staff of ancient Tabriz, helped lay the bases of the uniform Azerbaijan state.

Later, owing to a rigid and unambiguous position of the Azerbaijan leadership, the sad epoch of discrimination of the Soviet Jewry did not touch your ground. And nowadays the Jewish world names Azerbaijan «Israel on the Caspian Sea». And to this there are reasons.

Just like in Israel, two communities form the core of the Jewry of Azerbaijan: the European (Ashkenazi) and Sephardi. They live in peace and harmony not only with each other, but also with the surrounding Muslim and Christian population. It is our dream to see the same throughout Israel and all the Near East.

In February 2003, chaired by President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev in Almaty, there was the First International Conference of Peace and Consent. Plenipotentiaries of six Muslim states and leading Jewish organizations of America and Eurasia have in common condemned terrorism, called for the further dialog between Judaism and Islam, and also founded the Forum of Peace and Stability. Among the participants of the Conference there was the Minister for Foreign Affairs of your country. I am confident, that you in the nearest future will join the work of the Forum also, as the Head of Azerbaijan.

It is so the more important, that the idea of an international inter-confessional Dialog has already started up its roots on the Azerbaijan ground. In March of the current year leaders and rabbis of our Euro-Asian Jewish Congress met in Baku with leaders of two other Abrahamite faiths of Azerbaijan: Supreme Mufti of Caucasus Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazada and Bishop of Baku and Caspian Area Alexander. I am convinced, that your patronizing this direction of the Dialog will lead to increasing its efficiency not only in Azerbaijan, but also on a global scale.

Let the Azerbaijan Republic under your management be a bright beacon of tolerance and the stability, illuminating for the peoples of the planet a way to peace and harmony.

Alexander Machkevitch,

President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress


- Roman Spektor, Head of the EAJC Public Relations and Media Department