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Euroasian Jewish News
Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Secretary General and Head of the EAJC Public Relations and Media Department visited the count
26.12.2004
Australia, Singapore, East Timor, December 2-24, 2004
Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Secretary General Michael Chlenov and Head of the EAJC Public Relations and Media Department Roman Spektor visited the countries of the Asian-Pacific region on December 2-22, 2004.
Upon their arrival in Australia the delegation took part in the annual meeting of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), which is part of the EAJC.
The meeting gathered representatives of the Jewish communities from all Australian regions. Many nice words were said about EAJC General Council member Jeremy Jones, who according to the principle of rotation stipulated in the Charter, left his position as the ECAJ President and passed it to Grahame Leonard.
In his speech during the meeting M. Chlenov presented a detailed overview of the EAJC history, its geography, structure, objectives and tasks.
Then leaders of Australian Jewish communities were presented with EAJC Yearbook, EAJC brochure on inter-religious dialog and a beautifully illustrated Megilat Ester.
The delegation visited the main synagogue in Sydney where they told the rabbis and parishioners about the EAJC, inter-religious dialog, and Jewish life in Kazakhstan, Russia, other CIS and East European countries. EAJC representatives signed the honorary guests’ book and presented a kipa with a picture of synagogue “Beit Rachel” in Astana.
In Sydney the delegation also visited the Russian-speaking rabbi Usman of the Lubavitch movement and offered him to join the EAJC Council of Rabbis.
After that the EAJC representatives flew to the Australian island of Tasmania where they participated in the joint celebration of Shabbat in the very southern synagogue of the Earth that is open for all Jewish communities of the island. During two receptions held in honor of the EAJC delegation in the residences of the Tasmanian Jewish community leaders the necessity and fruitfulness of partnership with the EAJC not only on the highest but also on the lowest level were confirmed.
The adherence of Australian Jewish communities to the EAJC policy in the dialog between civilizations, religions and cultures was especially emphasized as all Australian people are familiar with it due to the historically multicultural development of the country.
Having arrived in Singapore the delegation met with the Singapore Jewish Fund leadership and Joseph Benjamin, one of the “Baghdadi” Jewish group leaders living in Singapore.
The visit culminated in M Chlenov’s speech delivered in the Jewish community house situated opposite the synagogue. Bradley Gordon, Vice-President of the Japan Jewish community, which is also part of the EAJC, attended that meeting as well and spoke about the work of the Congress in Asia-Pacific.
The delegation members were afforded the honor of lighting the last candles on Hanukah set up for the holiday. In their turn Singapore Jews received memorable presents from the EAJC.
EAJC representatives’ trip ended with visiting East Timor. The time spent on that island made it possible to hold talks with Nobel Peace Prize Winner, East Timor Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Ramos-Horta.
East Timor Minister of Foreign Affairs agreed with the necessity to intensify the participation of his country in the international interethnic and inter-religious dialog under the auspices of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nasarbaev and accepted the invitation to visit Kazakhstan and Russia in 2005.
Then the EAJC delegation met with East Timor Secretary of State Jose Teixeira, who is responsible for the issues of investments, tourism and environment protection in the government of the country. The parties discussed the prospects of East Timor cooperating with the EAJC in various spheres and close to the end of the meeting the Secretary of State presented M. Chlenov an Atlas of Timor Earth’s Interiors.
EAJC Public Relations and Media Department
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