Euroasian Jewish News

EAJC Leaders Visiting the USA November 11-16, 2004

Headed by the EAJC President Alexander Machkevitch leaders of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) visited the USA on November 11-16, 2004.
President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Edgar Bronfman and WJC Governing Board Chairman Israel Singer invited to New York the EAJC delegation that among others included EAJC Secretary General Michael Chlenov, EAJC General Council Chairman Joseph Zissels, EAJC Executive Vice-President Fedor Ossinin and EAJC Representative in Israel Yonathan Ben Dor. During the meeting that followed they discussed organization establishment issues, WJC Charter new edition principles, the EAJC place and role within the WJC structure as well as news from the Jewish communities worldwide.
As a result of the talks the parties established mutual understanding of the main problems concerning WJC structural renovation and its management. The EAJC reinforced its status as a WJC branch. EAJC President Alexander Machkevitch was appointed as one of the seven permanent members of the WJC Steering Committee that is the supreme governing body of the organization between the Congress Assemblies. The latter according to the Charter gather once in five years. The EAJC delegation was invited to participate in the WJC Governing Board enlarged session that will take place in Jerusalem, Israel, on January 10-11, 2005.
Together with Mark Levin, the NCSJ, Advocates on behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia Executive Director, and Shai Franklin, NCSJ Director of Governmental Relations, EAJC leaders held a number of meetings with prominent American Jewish leaders and US federal legislative and executive bodies’ representatives.
At the meeting with Howard Rieger, President and CEO of the United Jewish Communities (UJC), and James Lodge, UJC Director for Overseas Needs Assessment and Distribution, possible cooperation between the EJAC and this organization as well as cooperation format were discussed.
During the discussion Alexander Machkevitch pointed out the necessity of joint informational opposition to radical pro-Palestinian mass-media resources, which are now promoting a negative image of Jew both in Israel and within the Diaspora continuing their work for the benefit of the “new anti-Semitism” and those irresponsible political clichés, according to which a Muslim and a terrorist become now synonyms. Howard Rieger noted that he pays high tribute to the potential of the Euro-Asian Jewry, and that UJC and EAJC cooperation is now an agreed issue.
At the meeting with Chairman and Executive Vice-Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of the Major American Jewish Organizations James Tisch and Malcolm Hoenlein respectively was discussed situation with the Jewish inter-regional cooperation and its prospects as well as joint participation in significant Jewish activities and possible laureates of the International Maimonides Award of 2005.
At the reception in honor of the EAJC President held in the house of the well-known Rabbi and the Appeal of Conscience Foundation President Arthur Schneier, who had recently visited Kazakhstan, issues of the situation in the Middle East after Yasser Arafat’s death, state of American Jewish organizations and EAJC geographic expansion were discussed.
Alexander Machkevitch was invited to the Shabbat meeting in New York Park East synagogue, were he delivered a speech and received “The Person of Success” title. Arthur Schneier, Chief Rabbi of the synagogue, announced the decision to build brothers’ relations between the Park East and Beit Rachel synagogue in Astana City, the capital of Kazakhstan.
In Washington, DC, on November 15, the delegation met the US National Security Council Director for Southern Eurasia Matthew Bryza, the US Department of State Ambassador for International Religious Freedom John Hanford, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Director for Foreign Policy Issues Steven Rosen as well as with the Brooking Institutions Saban Center for Middle East Policy Director, Ambassador Martin Indyk and his colleague, Project on US Policy Towards the Islamic World Director Peter Singer.
The EAJC delegation held talks with Nixon Center Director for International Security and Energy Programs, Ms. Zeyno Baran, Congressman Robert Wexler (FL), Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (NV) and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to the United States Daniel Ayalon.
On the same day the EAJC delegation members participated in the reception dedicated to the Republic of Kazakhstan Day in the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington, DC. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada Kanat Saudabayev held the reception.

R. Spektor, Head of the EAJC Public Relations and Media Department