Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Secretary General Michael Chlenov has participated in the Tver festivities dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the local synagogue.

The two-storied brick synagogue was built in 1912 with the funds of the local Jews. In 1935 the building was taken away from the community, and since then it housed different establishments. In 2001, the synagogue was returned to the Jewish community, and in 2008 it was restored with the aid of the Moscow businessman and patron Josef Shterebnberg.

Among those who took part in the celebration were: Deputy Governor of Tverskaya Oblast Svetlana Verbitskaya, Head of the City Administration Valeriy Pavlov, and representatives of the oblast' and city national, religious, and community organizations. Head Rabbi of Russia (Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia) Berl Lazar, Executive Vice President of the Russian Jewish Congress Beni Briskin, and First Secretary of the Embasssy of the State of Israel to Russia Shlomo Voskoboynik also came to congratulate the Jewish community. Famous musician Andrei Makarevich played at the celebratory concert. Michael Chlenov gave a gift of a library of books published with EAJC support to the Jewish community of Tver. He also presented the Chairman of the Tverskaya Oblast Jewish Community Igor Elgardt with a holiday edition of the Tegilim (Psalms) for the synagogue.

Making his speech at the celebration, the EAJC Secretary General noted, “The Tver community is an exemplary dynamic, developing, strong Jewish community. This, naturally, makes us happy and proud of the local Jews, but one cannot forget that just recently the Jewish community of Russia was literally blown astir by the news of an explosion near the Tver synagogue entrance.
Of course, the local authorities did everything within their power to amend the consequences of this terroristic attack, but I'd like to hope that the efforts of the authorities will no less be aimed at preventing such acts in the future.

I hope that the explosion remains a solitary incident in the story of the Tver synagogue, a story which is already a hundred years long and which, I am sure, will yet continue for a very long time.”