As part of a short visit to Dnipro by a high-level Israeli delegation headed by Israeli Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ze’ev Elkin and the head of the government bureau “Nativ,” Alon Shoham, a meeting was held with leaders and activists of the Dnipro Jewish Community.
The high-ranking Israeli guests were warmly welcomed by the Chief Rabbi of Dnipro and the region, Shmuel Kaminezki, as well as respected members of the Jewish Community Natan Zolotarevsky, Itzhak Fridman, and Igal Rogovoy. In their speeches, they emphasized the importance of this meeting for developing cooperation between Israel and Ukraine, which is particularly significant in the current context for effectively responding to the civilizational challenges facing both countries.
Minister Ze’ev Elkin sincerely thanked the Dnipro Jewish Community for the warm reception, noted that he was very impressed by what he had seen, and was happy to learn about the community’s large-scale infrastructure projects, which testify to its confidence in the future. He also shared his vision of the processes taking place in Israel, the importance of restoring and developing the North and South of the country, which suffered the most from military actions and terrorist attacks, and emphasized the similarity of challenges facing Ukraine and Israel.
An important announcement was made during the meeting: the resumption of consular services in Dnipro and the intensification of the work of the Israeli Cultural Center. Both Minister Elkin and “Nativ” bureau head Alon Shoham highlighted the significance of this development in their addresses. The Jewish Community greeted the news that, by the decision of the “Nativ” leadership and Minister Elkin, consular services are resuming and the ICC’s work will be strengthened, with great joy.
Chief Rabbi of Dnipro Shmuel Kaminezki presented Minister Elkin with a commemorative gift – his portrait by the famous Dnipro artist Mykhailo Novak. The Chairman of the Board of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine presented the minister and delegation members with the first edition of the complete Ukrainian translation of the Torah. Minister Ze’ev Elkin, a native of Kharkiv, was deeply moved and sincerely thanked them, emphasizing the historical significance of this event.
The leaders and activists of the Dnipro Jewish Community had the opportunity to communicate with the distinguished guests in an informal atmosphere, get answers to many questions, and learn about the extensive work Mr. Ze’ev Elkin has done and continues to do to help Jewish communities and Jews in various countries worldwide in the numerous responsible positions he has held throughout his career, as well as the importance he places on the revival of Jewish life both in Eretz Israel and in other countries.
