NCSEJ Bulletin -- The latest activities of NCSEJ

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

12 Kislev, 5776

Chief Rabbi of Kazakhstan Visits NCSEJ

NCSEJ Deputy Director Lesley Weiss and Executive Director Mark B. Levin receive a gift from Chief Rabbi of Kazakhstan Yeshaya E. Cohen.

November 10

NCSEJ hosted a meeting with Chief Rabbi of Kazakhstan Yeshaya E. Cohen. Participants included NCSEJ's member agencies, members of the NCSEJ Board of Governors, and representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Rabbi Cohen discussed the history of Kazakhstan's Jewish community, the Kazakh government's work to promote interfaith tolerance, and Kazakhstan's relations with the United States and Israel.

Kyiv meetings with officials and Jewish community leaders

NCSEJ Leadership Mission to Ukraine, part 1

October 28 - October 31

During this challenging time for Ukraine, the NCSEJ delegation had an opportunity to meet with members of the government, the Jewish community, volunteers, and youth activists.

Embassy Briefings:

NCSEJ met with U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, who briefed the delegation on the situation in Ukraine.

Ambassador Pyatt also hosted a meeting for NCSEJ with Ambassador of Netherlands in Ukraine Kees Klompenhouwer, Deputy Chief of Mission of Germany in Ukraine Wolfgang Bindseil,Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vadym Prystaiko, as well as representatives from Ukraine's Jewish community, to discuss a range of issues, including the EU role in resolving the conflict in Donbas and EU assistance to Ukraine.

NCSEJ delegation with Mr. Wolfgang Bindseil, Amb. Geoffrey Pyatt, Mr. Vadym Prystaiko and Amb. Kees Klompenhouwer

The NCSEJ delegation was hosted for dinner by Israel's Ambassador to Ukraine Eliab Byelotserkovski, who briefed NCSEJ on Ukraine-Israel relations, emphasizing the productive bilateral partnership.

On October 28, NCSEJ Executive Director Mark Levin spoke at an Israel solidarity rally outside the Israeli Embassy in Kyiv, which was attended by over a thousand Ukrainians.

Government meetings:

NCSEJ met with Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who spoke about the government's progress on reforms, including in the energy sector, taxation and debt restructuring, as well as future steps to reform the judiciary.

The delegation met with Jewish Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Groisman, Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee Hanna Hopko, and several Jewish members of the Verkhovna Rada.

NCSEJ also met with other high-level officials, including Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, Head of Presidential Administration Borys Lozhkin, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, Deputy Interior Minister Tigran Avakyan, and representatives from Ukraine's Security Services.

Issues raised included Ukraine's vote on anti-Israel resolutions in the UN, the Babi Yar commemoration in 2016, humanitarian situation, and other issues important to Ukraine's Jewish community.

NCSEJ visited the offices of HIAS and Right to Protection. Right to Protection Director Aleksandr Galkin briefed the NCSEJ delegation on the internal displacement in the country.

Meeting with Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimki n

Meeting with Prime Minister Yatsenyuk

Meeting with Volodymyr Groisman

Meeting with Borys Lozhkin

The Jewish community:

The delegation was hosted for dinner by the Association of Jewish Communities and Organizations of Ukraine (VAAD), which gathered members of the Kyiv Jewish community, Jewish organizations, and prominent Jewish business leaders.

NCSEJ visited the Kyiv Brodsky Synagogue, and met with Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Yaakov Bleich.

NCSEJ attended Shabbat services at the Hatikva Reform Synagogue in Kyiv, and had Shabbat dinner with several young Jewish activists who are involved with Hillel.

The delegation met with representatives from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), who discussed the growing aliyah and the situation with the Jewish IDPs in Ukraine, as well as those who have stayed in areas of unrest.

NCSEJ was briefed by Chair of the Monitoring Group for National Minorities Vyacheslav Likhachev and Co-coordinator Tatiana Bezruk on the state of anti-Semitism in Ukraine.

With Chief Rabbi Yaakov Bleich

At Hatikva Reform Synagogue

Dnipropetrovsk meetings with officials and Jewish community leaders

NCSEJ Leadership Mission to Ukraine, part 2

November 1 - November 2

On November 1, the NCSEJ delegation traveled to Dnipropetrovsk, where they were hosted by Chief Rabbi of Dnipropetrovsk Shmuel Kaminezki.

In Dnipropetrovsk, NCSEJ met with Jewish community leaders, young leaders, volunteers, and Governor of Dnipropetrovsk and member of the Jewish community Valentyn Reznichenko.

NCSEJ also had a chance to meet with Boston Jewish community leaders Bob and Doris Gordon, who were visiting Dnipropetrovsk.

At the end of the trip to Dnipropetrovsk, NCSEJ was honored at a gala dinner at the Menorah Center. Members of the delegation spoke at the gala, praising the incredible renaissance of the Dnipropetrovsk Jewish community.

Dnipropetrovsk Jewish youth

Governor Reznichenko, Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki, Bob and Doris Gordon

Meeting with Dnipropetrovsk Jewish volunteers

NCSEJ delegation, officials and members of the Jewish community

NCSEJ hosted a meeting with President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili

Members of Georgia's parliament, presidential advisors, member agencies representatives and NCSEJ leaders.

October 2

Participants included members of Georgia's parliament, presidential advisors, member agencies representatives, and members of the NCSEJ Board of Governors.

President Margvelashvili spoke about Georgia's Western-oriented foreign policy, emphasizing Georgia's strong relationship with the United States and Israel. He also highlighted the history of Georgia's vibrant Jewish community, which has peacefully coexisted with other ethnic groups in Georgia for centuries. Other issues discussed included regional security, Iran, and avenues for U.S.-Georgia bilateral cooperation, such as free trade and visa liberalization.

Meeting with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko

NCSEJ and member agencies representatives met with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko

September 26

NCSEJ leaders and representatives of its member agencies met with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko. A number of pertinent issues were discussed, including anti-Semitism, recent desecrations of the Babi Yar memorial in Kyiv, and Ukraine's relations with Israel.

NCSEJ expressed its support for Ukraine in overcoming the serious challenges the country has faced for the last two years.

Jewish Leaders reception with Vice President Joe Biden

Vice President Joe Biden and NCSEJ Executive Director Mark Levin

September 9

Jewish Leaders and NCSEJ representatives had the honor to participate in a reception at the Naval Observatory Residence hosted by Vice President Joe Biden.