RUSSIAN JEW...

«AL-JAZEERA» ISLAND

ISRAEL AND STATISTICS

CONFLICT-FREE LEADER

Another anniversary of mass shootings' start in Babiy Yar is marked with sadness and pain. Here 61 years ago 200 thousand Kievites and war prisoners became fascists' victims. Among them were 35 thousand children. Gun bursts were heard in the ravine Babiy Yar from September 29, 1941 till September 29, 1943. Among those killed by Hitlerites were Ukrainians, Russians, Gypsies, Germans, Poles... But the biggest number went to Jews - 150 thousand.

November 7-10 the leader of the "Nasha Ukraina" ("Our Ukraine") bloc Victor Yushchenko was on an unofficial visit in Israel on the invitation of faction "Our home Israel - National unity". He met with the leader of the party "Our home Israel" Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the parliamentary united faction "Our home Israel - National unity", leader of the Israeli party "Democratic choice" Roman Bronfman as well as representatives of the foreign office in charge of the East European direction. Yushchenko was accompanied by a people's deputy, vice-president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Yevgeny Chervonenko.

October 13-15 Kharkov hosted the seminar "Integration of local businessman and intellectuals into a community life: their influence and contribution" of the JDC Joint department on the activity in CIS countries. "Joint" also presented its SUT program.

Grigory Burban headed in Odessa one of large trading firms - the "Algri" corporation. On the eve of a terrible act of terror in Moscow, when the Theatre center in Dubrovka was seized, he departed with his wife on a business trip. His business partners undertook some efforts to provide him with two tickets for a popular musical.

The XX century brought us many tragedies. One of the candles burnt in the fire of Holocaust became a small town of Brailov in the Vinnitsa region. In February and April 1942 fascists exterminated here nearly 3000 Jews. Even those 300 Jews, who escaped to the Zhmerinka ghetto, failed to survive.

October 27 the Kiev planetarium hosted a Fair of Israeli youth programs and higher education organized by the "Sokhnut" Jewish agency. The ambassador of State of Israel to Ukraine and Moldova Anna Azari already traditionally opened the event.

Every year one and the same day (after the Jewish calendar) the Jewish community of Dnepropetrovsk gathers in the locality of botanic garden - the place of shooting city Jews by Nazis in 1941. Here now stands a monument executed in a traditional Jewish style - as a reminder to everybody: Holocaust is the tragedy to have touched on everybody irrespective of his nationality and place of residence.

Jewish communities of Big Boston and Dnepropetrovsk make friends for over ten years. Arrival of Boston's representatives in Dnepropetrovsk is always a big holiday. Many important and necessary things have been done; joint projects have been implemented in the interests of both Jewish community and the entire city.

A cosy four-storeyed building under a red tiled roof houses the Kiev center for social care "Khesed".