RJC Monitor - 12.27.2002

 

The Russian Jewish Congress




Information Bulletin # 41 

MOSCOW CITY HALL HANDS OUT AWARDS

Moscow City Hall's annual awards recognize meritorious community service and professional accomplishments. 

The 2002 awards were presented by Mayor Yuri Luzhkov on December 20. Zinovy Kogan, Chairman of the Congress of Jewish Religious Communities and Organizations of Russia (commonly known by its Russian acronym, KEROOR), was honored for outstanding commitment to developing a Jewish religious consciousness and practice and to fostering religious tolerance within the community and beyond. Accepting his award, Rabbi Kogan said that to him, it was a sign of appreciation not so much for his individual endeavors as for the collective effort by all religious organizations engaged in promoting awareness of traditional and Reform Judaism in this country.

Lawmaker and popular Soviet-era crooner Joseph Kobzon was awarded as a volunteer negotiator in the Oct. 23-26 hostage standoff in Moscow. 

RJC BOARD MEMBER AWARDED FOR RESEARCH EFFORT

Vitaly Ginsburg, on the Russian Jewish Congress Board, has received a national Triumph award for distinguished scientific research in physics and power engineering. 

The Triumph, instituted by an independent private foundation, honors individuals for distinguished contributions to literature, the arts, and the sciences (mathematics & computer science, physics & power engineering, chemistry, Earth science, medicine, and humanities). Each honoree receives a badge, a certificate, and prize money.

JEWISH, MOSLEM CLERICS JOIN CHRISTIAN TO DISCUSS FAITH & LABOR

Adolph Schaewitz, Chief Rabbi of Russia, represented this country's Jewish congregations at the World Council of Orthodox Christian Churches in Moscow December 16 and 17. Other non-Christian religious leaders, including Mufti Talgat Tajudin, Chairman of Russia's Central Moslem Spiritual Board, were also in attendance. 

It has become a tradition with the Orthodox Christian hierarchy to invite representatives of other monotheistic religions to its annual gatherings, at which various faith-related issues are brought up. Scholars and politicians are also welcome to join in the discussions. 

The latest Council focused on connections between faith and labor. Reviewing the event, Rabbi Schaewitz said quite a few interesting reports had been offered on the topic. He singled out the speech by economist Dmitri Lvov, noting that its many bright ideas, if materialized, could benefit the nation greatly. At the same time, he criticized Vladimir Zhirinovsky and fellow politicians for failing to speak to the point, engaging in propaganda, and making chauvinistic pronouncements. Rabbi Schaewitz lamented that Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and All Russia had been unable to join the gathering owing to illness.

BASHMET TEACHES VIOLA MASTER CLASS TO TEENS 

The world-renowned Russian violist Yuri Bashmet has taught a master class to younger students of the Gnesins School of Music, in Moscow. The Dec. 18-20 class in viola performance was conducted in concert setting and with full orchestra backing. 
Arranged to mark the maestro's 50th birthday, the event was sponsored by the Russian Jewish Congress, the Moscow Jewish Community, Information Business Systems Inc., Zebra Telecom, the Tarussa-based Svyatoslav Richter Foundation, and the Musical Collections regional foundation.