A session of the Union of Belarusian Jewish Public Associations and Communities (SBEOOO) took place in Minsk. The meeting concerned a summary of the Union’s activity in 2013. A number of large events were held in 2013, including the Art-Limmud in Vitebsk dedicated to Mark Chagall, which gathered over 450 participants from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Lithuania; a series of evenst timed to the 90th anniversary of Shimon Peres, a native of Belarus and the President of Israel; a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Brest native, Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin; and Memory Days in honor of 70 years since the destruction of the Minsk ghetto.

The event included nominating delegates for the General Assembly of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), which will take place in February in Jerusalem. The delegates will be: Chairman of the Belarus Union of Jewish Veterans, Partisans, and Underground Members Lev Sheinkman; leader of the “Shalom” Jewish community of Baranovichi, Raisa Goldsteim; Director General of the SBEOOO Victoria Brumina.

Journalist and writer Arkady Shulman was presented with the highest award of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, the “For Merits” medal, in honor of his 60th anniversary.

Arkady Shulman graduated from the Department of Journalism of the Belarusian State University. He worked in the newspapers, radio, and television. He is the author of numerous novellas, short stories, documentary books (“The Chronicle of Frightening Days,” “Remember This Name,” “Made Kin by War,” “Belated Recognition” and others). He is the editor-in-chief of the “Mishpaha” international Jewish journal, which specializies in historical and literary publications. The journal has been published in Vitebsk since 1995. In 2004, the journal was given the Charles Hoffman prize for “Best coverage of Jewish cultural heritage.” Victoria Brumina presented the award on behalf of the EAJC.