The Golden Rose Synagogue held a ceremony to honor soldiers who liberated the city from Nazi occupants, held on the 67th anniversary of the city’s liberation. The ceremony involved Dnepropetrovsk Mayor Ivan Kulichenko.
The Beit Baruch Veterans’ Choir began by performing the city’s official anthem “Dnepropetrovsk is my sweet home” in both Russian and Yiddish, after which there was a moment of silence in memory of soldiers who died during World War II. The Jewish community’s chairman Gersh Korol read a memorial prayer and the choir then sang the famous song "Zhuravli" in both Russian and Yiddish.
Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk Shmuel Kaminetsky noted that the day of liberation and the end of the war are important dates whose value should not be underestimated. He shared that he was glad that the community was joined on this day by Mayor Kulichenko, who has made great effort to strengthen inter-ethnic and inter-religious accord in the city. As a token of appreciation on behalf of the community, Rabbi Kaminetsky presented the mayor with a silver Chanukah Menorah.
Mayor Kulichenko spoke about the history of the city’s revival after the war and the challenges it faces today, underlining that developing the traditional multi-culturalism and multi-faith aspects of Dnepropetrovsk is a priority. “In Dnepropetrovsk, churches have been returned to religious Orthodox, Lutheran and Roman Catholic communities, and synagogues have been returned to the Jewish community. This process will continue and the spiritual revival will benefit all residents of the city,” stated Mayor Kulichenko. He sees the construction of the Menorah Center – the largest Jewish center in the world – of particular importance to the city. He noted that the municipal government has supported and will continue to support this project. In particular, after its construction, the adjacent streets will also be reconstructed.
The mayor presented gifts to the Jewish veterans who personally participated in the city’s liberation and then, on behalf of the community, Konstantin Taratuta gave each of the veterans envelopes with another special gift.
Mayor Kulichenko was also given a tour of the future Menorah Center. Upon reaching the eighteenth floor, he admired the panorama of the city and the Dnieper River, and expressed confidence that this center will bring many benefits, both to the Jewish community and to all local residents, not to mention being a point of interest to many visitors.