The Jewish community of Dnepropetrovsk hosted a delegation from Vienna that included Thomas Moskowitz who is the head of Bank Winter and the president of the Agudah Jewish community of Vienna. At the meeting, the visitors became acquainted with the activities of the local Jewish community.
Mr. Moskowitz is one of Austria’s foremost businessmen and philanthropists. His bank, Bank Winter, is one of the largest private banks in Central and Eastern Europe. He is an active proponent of business education for Jewish youth. To this end, he was involved in helping establish the Lauder Business School. Mr. Moskowitz is the head of the Agudah Jewish community of Vienna.
"I had heard so much about the achievements of the Jewish community of Dnepropetrovsk that I really wanted to see this Jewish community in person,” said Mr. Moskowitz. “The fact that your community, led by Gennady Bogolyubov, is a true leader of Jewish revival in the FSU is widely known throughout the world, and especially in Vienna."
The director of the Dnepropetrovsk community, Zelig Brez, showed the visitors the Golden Rose synagogue, spoke about the development of the project for building the world's largest Jewish center, after which they inspected the construction site. The delegation admired the scope and scale of the project, touring the area of the atrium and the main hall of the future Menorah Center and then went upstairs to admire a magnificent panoramic view of the city.
The guests then visited the Ohr Avner Chabad Day School. Rabbi Meir Ostrovsky, the school’s director, spoke to the Austrian guests about the history and principles forming the school’s foundation, its successes and the improvements scheduled to take place in the Jewish education system in Dnepropetrovsk.
After inspecting the school and playground, and talking with the children and teachers, Mr. Moskowitz admitted that he was absolutely stunned by what he saw. "I am very glad that I saw this all with my own eyes and I think that anyone dealing with the revival of Jewish life could learn a lot from Dnepropetrovsk. This is really a vibrant and strong community, led by a strong and responsible leader, and we are very encouraged by this example."