08 September 2020, Tuesday, 21:08 398

We are witnessing the revival of the Jewish life in Ukraine, – Boris Lozhkin at KJF 2020

Редактор: Микола Поліщук

Ukraine is not an accidental place for organizing a global Jewish forum, declared the President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine Boris Lozhkin, opening the Kyiv Jewish Forum 2020.

“For centuries, our country has been one of the brightest and largest centers of the Jewish life in the world, and the Ukrainian Jews have settled all over the world,” Lozhkin said.

He reminded that the history of the Jewish people and the people of Ukraine are closely linked: “In 1900, 1 out of 4 Jews in the world lived on the territory of current Ukraine, making it the largest Jewish country in the world. When it gained independence in 1917, it was Ukraine that became the first country to issue coins and banknotes in three languages: Ukrainian, Russian and Yiddish.”

As Lozhkin noted, in subsequent years, the Jewish people of Ukraine had to go through a number of extraordinary dramatic events – thousands of pogroms, the Holodomor, the Holocaust, and, ultimately, experience the Soviet anti-Semitic policy.

“Most of the Jews in Ukraine died, but some managed to escape to Israel, Western Europe and America. Golda Meir, Serge Gainsbourg, Bob Dylan, Dustin Hoffman, Isaac Stern, Steven Spielberg, Sigmund Freud – their families come from Ukraine!” he reminded.

Despite the tragedies of the 20th century, the Jewish community in Ukraine is experiencing a revival, the President of the JCU is convinced. This has become possible largely thanks to the tremendous support provided to the Jews of Ukraine from all over the world, especially from Israel, the United States and Europe.

“The time has come to repay this debt to the world. The Jewish Confederation of Ukraine seeks to contribute to the development of the world Jewish community, and that is why we are organizing the Kyiv Jewish Forum,” Lozhkin noted.

As a reminder, the Kyiv Jewish Forum 2020, organized by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine in partnership with the Jerusalem Post, is being held online. Among its participants are the President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder, the Alternate Prime Minister of Israel Benny Gantz, representatives of the US Department of State, the House of Lords of the United Kingdom and many other political, public and scientific figures.

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