Euroasian Jewish News

Diaspora Presidential Forum / Participation of EAJC Secretary General. Jerusalem, Israel, March 25, 2003.

On March 25, 2003, the conference "Jews of the CIS Between Revival and Assimilation " was held in the residence of President of Israel Moshe Katsav. The event took place within the framework of "Presidents Forum of the Diaspora", initiated by Moshe Katsav and working in cooperation with the Institute of Modern Judaism of the Jewish University in Jerusalem. The Round Table’s specialty is the display of three components of studying the given theme: research, practical and local. Professor Mordekhay Altshuller represented the academic circles, Head of "Nativ" Tsvi Magen - the application aspect, and Secretary General of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (ЕАJC) Professor Michael Chlenov – the direct object of consideration, i.e. the Jews living on the post-Soviet territory.
Lecturers out of the Israeli party basically touched upon socio-demographic and statistical factors, and their Russian opponent operated with concrete and essential for local communities facts. So, for example, in the opinion of M. Chlenov, one of the major problems in the relations between the Diaspora in the CIS and the State of Israel is the issue of defining who is Jewish.
"Realizing themselves Jews in the Diaspora, they automatically become "people of the second grade" when they receive the certificate of a new repatriate in case they are not considered Jewish according to Halakha, " – the EAJC Secretary General said. M. Chlenov emphasized, that such a situation negatively affects both the image of Israel in the eyes of local communities, and on the Aliya quantity.
Summing up the Conference, M. Katsav noted the importance of such meetings, what allows him in the quality of the head of the Jewish State to be more informed about the fellow tribesmen living in the countries of dispersion and to use it in the daily work of the President of Israel.
Addressing the soldiers among the audience, natives of the CIS, M. Katsav especially dwelled on the adopted by the Government of Israel decision on granting the right of citizenship to non-Jewish parents of those young repatriates who were called up for military service according to the law.
The President of Israel finished his oration on the playful note, saying the snow that was falling on the Conference day in Jerusalem served as good quality scenery of a real Russian winter.

the EAJC Public Relations and Media Department