In the north-east Ukrainian city of Sumy, the local Jewish community hosted a conference involving numerous ethnic and cultural groups from the region.
According to official statistics, 11% of the Sumy region’s population is from ethnic minorities, most of which have organized themselves to form national-cultural societies. Three years ago, representatives of these organizations joined together to form a non-governmental organization known as the Association of National Cultural Societies of the Sumy Region. Numerous communities are involved in this association, including Poles, Jews, Russian, Greeks, Armenians, Azeris, Germans, Georgians, Gypsies (Roma), and other minorities.
On February 14, at the Sumy synagogue, representatives of the groups met. They reported on their activities and successes of the past year, discussed existing problems and their potential solutions, and outlined plans for the future.
Participants also elected the organization’s new leadership. By the unanimous decision of the delegates, the Association’s new president is Alexander Goron, the current chairman of the Jewish community of Sumy, a member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.