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Euroasian Jewish News
Solidarity with Israel Fills with Creative Content.
08.09.2006
 Israeli writers' delegation continues its visit to the CIS. The visit proceeds as a part of the campaign for solidarity with the state and people of Israel, initiated by Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC).
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It was already reported that EAJC organized analogous visits of MKs to Russia and Ukraine, provided Israeli regions which suffered from Hezbollah with humanitarian assistance, facilitated the presence of journalists from the FSU in the Jewish state, and also EAJC held its General Council session in Jerusalem those days.
EAJC President Alexander Machkevitch believes that the present mission of Israeli writers is a logical continuation of this campaign for the Jewish state support.
"It is important that post-Soviet intelligentsia found vigor to deal with the situation straight, withstanding provocative rhetoric of the mass media", - Machkevitch told journalists, - "Traditionally society trusts masters of arts more than politicians. That is why writers from Israel are in the CIS today."
 The delegation is composed from such writers working in Hebrew and Russian as Ephraim Bauch, Lev Baltsan, Daniel Kluger, Mark Kotliarsky, Meir Uziel, Naomi Frenkel Ben-Aur, Tzipora Reiner, Alexander Epstein and Svetlana Shenbrun. MK Yosef Shagal accompanies them.
On September 3, the delegation arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan, where together with EAJC General Council Chairman Jozef Zissels met Writers Union of Azerbaijan authorities, Azeri Jewish community leaders and society. Ambassador of Israel to Azerbaijan Arthur Lenk also took part in the meetings.
Visit to Baku was completed by a warm reception at Azerbaijan State Committee for Diaspora Affairs Chairman Nazim Ibragimov.
Then the writers moved to Russia, where they took part in the Israeli exposition presentation and opening at the XIX Moscow International Book Fair (MIBF).
On September 6, they shared their opinions on modern Israeli literature with EAJC Council of Rabbis Deputy Chairman, Rabbi-in-Chief of Russia Adolph Shaevich, who visited the fair.
Next day the delegation gave a press-conference, where together with the writers there also spoke EAJC Secretary General Michael Chlenov.
Answering questions of journalists about Jewish life in Russia, Chlenov paid special attention to two questions. He bitterly criticized MIBF organizers and Russian Government for granting admissions to the Fair to such publishing houses as "Russkaya Pravda" and "Algorithm".
EAJC Secretary General pointed that among books published by "Russkaya Pravda" there are works by racialist Avdeyev, "anti-Semitism patriarch" Emelyanov, anti-Semite writers Sinyavin, Istarkhov, etc.
"It gives to anti-Semitism sort of "legitimacy" and an additional tribune enhancing advocacy of anti-Semitism, chauvinism and racism", - emphasized Chlenov.
Speaking about the discussion of teaching "Christian Orthodox Culture Basics" at comprehensive schools of Russia, EAJC Secretary General said that one should not accentuate one confession - no matter the number of its adherents - in the country, whose historical legacy composes co-existence of many traditional religions cultures.
Israeli writers' delegation is staying in Moscow till September 11, and is having a number of meetings with Russian colleagues, Jewish leaders and society.
Original publication (in Russian)
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