The Jewish Business Club, whose members are Kharkov entrepreneurs, was formed at the beginning of this year, and meets on a monthly basis.
The first meeting, held on January 14, featured Eduard Rubin, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Kharkov Jewish community, who is the director of Telesens International Ltd. and vice chairman of the Kharkov branch of the European Business Association (EBA). The meeting was attended by 30 enthusiastic local businessmen in a very warm, informal atmosphere.
At the meeting, Mr. Rubin spoke about how he managed to overcome many challenges throughout his business career, which began in the Soviet times, as well as the impact that the latest financial crisis has had on Ukrainian hi-tech businesses. In response to a number of questions, he spoke about the role and significance of the Kharkov Jewish community in his life, and shared information about his involvement with the Jewish community’s development over the years.
The second meeting, held on February 2, featured Leonid Filshtinsky, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Kharkov Jewish community, as well as the director and co-owner of “Trubniy Zavod” (Pipe Plant) Ltd. He spoke about how, after moving from the Soviet Union to Israel, he managed to organize a successful business in his new country and even created a business association. After returning to Ukraine in the 1990s, he was able to establish a new advanced enterprise. Mr. Filshtinsky noted the similarities and differences of doing business in Ukraine and Israel, and spoke about how his company was able to rebuild its business strategy during the 1998 financial crisis and how it became possible to use the 2008-09 crisis to make a qualitative leap in the development of his business. In addition, Mr. Filshtinsky spoke about his philanthropic activities on behalf of the Jewish community.