Chief Rabbi of Dnipro and the region Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki held a meeting with a large delegation from the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) — one of the most influential independent non-governmental organizations in the United States, which specializes in strategic issues and assists the legislative and executive branches in developing sound policies for both the present and the future.
The meeting took place as part of the AFPC delegation’s visit to the city of Dnipro. The visit’s main focus was the role of municipal governance during the ongoing crisis, examples of resilience and crisis management, recovery efforts, and cooperation between local authorities and international partners.
The American delegation included the following prominent and influential figures:
- Herman Pirchner Jr., President of the American Foreign Policy Council
- Joseph Biegun, Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
- Tyler Brace, Senior Staff Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
- Daniel Gottfried, Senior Legislative and Policy Analyst, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
- Thomas O. Melia, Senior Fellow at the Center for Democracy and Civil Society at Georgetown University
- E. Wayne Merry, Senior Fellow for Europe and Eurasia, American Foreign Policy Council
- Mykola Hryckowian, Director of the Washington Office of the Center for US-Ukrainian Relations
- Victoria Jetton, Special Programs Coordinator, American Foreign Policy Council
- Annie Swingen, Director of External Relations, American Foreign Policy Council
On the Ukrainian side, the delegation was accompanied by Andriy Denysenko, Deputy Mayor of Dnipro for Information Policy, Ostap Kryvdik, Head of the Ukrainian Strategic Initiative Analytical Center at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and Serhii Yanchuk, Head of the “Resilience” Division at the same center
Representing the Jewish Community of Dnipro, alongside the Chief Rabbi, were Zelig Brez, Director of the Jewish Community of Dnipro and Svitlana Yermakova, General Director of the Menorah Center.
During the meeting, the participants discussed the position of the Jewish Community on the most urgent and significant topics, the promotion of interethnic peace and harmony in Ukraine, and the ongoing formation of a Ukrainian civic and political identity. Rabbi Kaminezki provided open and thoughtful responses to the many questions posed by the American guests — responses that left a strong and lasting impression.
