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Euroasian Jewish News
New Russian State Holiday
21.09.2004
Moscow, Russia, September 22, 2004
The Inter-Religious Council of Russia that unites leaders of 4 traditional confessions in the country has proposed that the November 4 should be celebrated as a state holiday – the Unification Day of Russia.
The Council offered to celebrate the holiday in memory of the events that took place in 1612 when under the command of Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky people’s volunteer corps liberated Moscow from invaders and put an end to the so called “Time of unrest”.
Inter-Religious Council members are of opinion that terrorists want to cause to quarrel the peoples of Russia, and spread among them unbelief in the future of their country. Religious figures called upon the Russians to unite. To their mind, images of Minin and Pozharsky could become a symbol of this union.
“It is quite natural for us that a new initiative to celebrate in Russia the day of overcoming this “time of unrest” comes directly from the religious figures of the country. We are considering this Russian initiative as a natural continuation of the international inter-religious dialogue that was started by the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev and is taking place with the active assistance of the Congress”, - said Alexander Machkevitch, President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), commenting on the event.
“It is very pleasant to recognize the fact that Adolph Shaevich, Rabbi-in-Chief of Russia, the EAJC Council of Rabbis Deputy Chairman was one of the new state holiday establishment initiators”, - the EAJC President added.
EAJC Public Relations and Media Department
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