Euroasian Jewish News

The statement of Mikhail Oshtrakh, the EAJC General Council member, the Vaad of Russia Presidium member, the Jewish National-Cul

Why did the Second Temple was destroyed? The Talmud says: “Because of groundless enmity between Jews”. It’s the same two thousand years later. At the moment a scandal has developed in Ukraine in connection with the “Declaration” against Joseph Zissels, which was published in the “VEK” newspaper of July 08, 2003.
I’ve known Joseph Zissels for a long time through the VAAD activity in the former USSR. We had quarrels, disputes but nobody of us resorted to such a mean “Declaration”. That’s why we hold each other in high respect, that’s why members of Vaad were able to create the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and Joseph Zissels, who is one of the most merited figures, became the EAJC General Council Chairman.
Leader always has a hard time. He is under critics, he is always in full view, and he is responsible for everything. If somebody beards Joseph Zissels so harshly then the Jewish community is threatened with dangerous split. I wonder that so well-known and respected people as rabbi Bleih and Arkadiy Monastyrskiy are against Joseph Zissels. I’m sure he deserves better attitude. He is the one that devoted all his life to rebirth of Jewish community at the post-USSR territories. He did great deal and still he can do a lot on this path. I hope that the authors of the “Declaration” will calm down and make their apologies to Joseph Zissels for some incorrect, to put it mildly, statements and the differences would be settled in a dialogue mode. Probably it would be useful to establish the EAJC rabbinical court and examine the problem in the court.
I wish Joseph Zissels to continue successful work as the EAJC General Council Chairman and the Vaad of Ukraine Chairman.


Mikhail Oshtrakh,
Doctor of Physical-Mathematical Science,
the EAJC General Council member, the Vaad of Russia Presidium member,
the Jewish National-Cultural Autonomy in Sverdlovsk region President.
Ekaterinburg. Russia