WASHINGTON, D.C. October 3, 2014


TO: NCSEJ Leadership and Interested Parties

FROM: Stephen M. Greenberg, Chairman;
Alexander Smukler, NCSEJ President;
Mark B. Levin, NCSEJ Executive Director  

 

Dear Friend,

A shaky truce continues to hold between the Ukrainian government and the pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine; however, there are growing reports of rising numbers of violations of the ceasefire agreement.

This week's update includes articles analyzing the challenges facing Ukraine in addition to the armed conflict: a shrinking economy, decline in production and foreign investment, troubling legacies of the previous regime (such as endemic corruption and institutional weakness), and a growing humanitarian crisis.

I would like to highlight a JTA story by Cnaan Liphshiz about the Dnipropetrovsk Jewish community's assistance to those fleeing Eastern Ukraine. Dnipropetrovsk's Menorah Center, the largest Jewish community center in Europe, now houses hundreds of Jewish refugees from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Another interesting piece in this week's update is a Wall Street Journal article by Marcin Sobczyk and Patryk Wasilewski, analyzing Poland's foreign policy shift since the September 22 inauguration of a new Prime Minister. Poland has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine's European integration and sanctions against Russia, but the new Prime Minister appears to favor a more "hands-off approach" on Ukraine.

I also want to alert you to a Bloomberg article by Zulfugar Agayev, about Israel and Azerbaijan's growing partnership, based on energy and defense cooperation.

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a chatimah tova and a meaningful fast.

Sincerely,

 

Mark B. Levin

Executive Director

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Please visit http://ncsej.org/NCSEJ-Wkly.pdf  for NCSEJ's Weekly News Update.