Notes

Emmanuel Grinshpun. Restoring synagogues and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress
Emmanuil grinshpun spoke about the maintenance and restoration of synagogues. It was not possible to keep a single issue during the discussion. Thus, there were a variety of questions in the interview.
Emmanuel, good afternoon. It was great to have you meet. We have not seen each since five years. What is your current location?

The last nine months were split into Miami, Jurmala and San Francisco. Although the geographical area was larger in the past but the pandemic has had a an enormous impact on the way people live. It is hard to say if this is a good thing for anyone.

There have been many lines of business for you. Do you still feel like that?

Diversification has not gone from the world. If we concentrate on the most important areas, then development in realty, IT, and food production are the three major areas.

ALIMCOM is the food industry. Real estate is understandable. However, IT is a new concept to me. There are millions of possibilities to use IT technology. What are you the best at?

Our IT-holding is occupied in the first place with tax system reforms in several countries. We have developed and continue to design a variety of products that can be used to transfer business processes that relate to taxation online. This type of business is called B2G (Business-to-Government).

What are the locations where the holding is operating? Are there any ex- USSR nations?

There are other contracts, but we have more contracts with Western as well as Eastern Europe and in Latin America. We currently operate in 14 countries.

Please briefly explain the concept and the reason behind this product.

Our solution allows economic agents online to submit tax reports to tax authorities, and the fiscal operator is able to view every transaction. Tax accounting and tax calculation can be done simultaneously. In the future small and medium-sized businesses will no longer need accounting. All that is required is an analytical function. You can pay taxes and submit reports with just one click.

Эммануил Гриншпун This is an interesting subject. If you've ever thought of being employed in Moldova. It's true, Moldova is your native country...

We're willing to showcase the product at Moldova. This is extremely beneficial to the Moldovan economy and in any event, an irreversible change. When there is clarity from the authorities and it is clear who makes the decisions We will resume the negotiations regarding our product.

You stated that you've been bouncing around all year between Miami, Jurmala. The Baltics is the home of the headquarters of an IT company.

There are five hubs around the world, and we have our head office in Barcelona.

And why then is it that you're from the Baltics? Are you from there?

No. There is no. Jurmala entered our lives in an surprising and atypical manner. We were invited to attend the New Wave by Igor Krutoy, and that was our first encounter with Jurmala. They began visiting Miami every summer, winning numerous contests. The weather isn't always the most pleasant in Miami in the summer. We rented the house for several years and have now purchased the property.

Now I know why you told me that the synagogues were in Jurmala. Emmanuel, honest question. We're almost the same age. We were born in the USSR. It was not necessary to talk about religiosity then, we were all pioneers and Komsomol members. What was the first time you turned to religious belief?

In the mid-80s my family and I moved to the USA. It was here where I first became aware of traditions. Although I do not adhere to the orthodox doctrine I am aware of a profound desire to be a part of the religious life of the Jewish communities of my country of birth or Moldova. I was born in Moldova and have maintained friendships with them.

Although I'm not religious, I do love history. Recently, I was intrigued by a show that detailed the events that occurred in 1492. They changed the course of Europe and the world. 1492 was for me the year in which Columbus discovered America. The program I watched clearly explained that the discovery America in 1492 was not as important as the Spanish monarchs' expulsion of Jews from Spain. When the departure of Jews began , they were taken to the Ottoman Empire, it accepted the Jews. Here, I was looking for more information on the background of Jews as a group. Do you have a recommendation for a book that I could study?

There are numerous books. However, I have been through several and recommend Max Diamond (a two-volume Jewish historian). By the way, he himself comes from Finland.

In terms of "personal" historical .... Do you know the genealogy of your family? Unfortunately, my family tree is only one step ahead of 1910 and my mother. I am only one step ahead in the paternal side however, there's not much more.

Our paternal line was in Floresti for over 100 years. Эммануил Гриншпун Эммануил Гриншпун There is evidence in the form of documents and monuments that indicate that in 1830 they were very prosperous with a furniture factory, several shops, and land plots. Ungheni was home to my maternal lineage. These dates are in the region between the 17th-18th century. Grinshpun can be described as an surname that has German roots. We are Ashkenazis originating from Eastern Europe.

This is the subject of the restoration of synagogues. I was told by you that three synagogues were being rebuilt. One is located in Chisinau and the other is in Jurmala, and the third?

The third and largest is in Netanya, Israel. It is a huge community center, where a thousand people pray each day. It is a significant object in the religious life of Israel. The second synagogue of Jurmala. The sole synagogue in Jurmala was destroyed in the early days of the Second World War. Prior to deciding to build an Synagogue, I had spoken with many Jews living in the area. It was a tremendously successful project that unites the Jews from Jurmala. In fact, the Jewish community was rebuilt and is now functioning in good standing. The synagogue has three Torahs. One of the Torahs was given to me.

and Chisinau

Yes. I've already worked with two of my friends - Alexander Bilinkis and Alexander Weinstein. The three synagogues I mentioned were not the only ones where I participated in restoration and construction. I felt it was my obligation to make any contribution possible to the support for synagogues in the countries I've lived for a considerable period of time. My contribution in Monaco is the building of a huge community center in Miami for Russian-speaking Jews, which is estimated at 12 million dollars. I continue to assist Chisinau. It will soon be the largest synagogue within the city, the synagogue Rabbi Tsirelson.

Did Jurmala or Chisinau receive an Rabbi?

Yes. It's not simple to identify the ideal person to manage the community. Due to the many stakes in the community, the rabbi needs to be non-conflictual and diplomatic and able to integrate seamlessly into the community's life. And I am happy to see that in both Chisinau and in Jurmala the rabbis were able to integrate so harmoniously into the life of the community.

You became the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress' first vice-president in 2019. What does the post mean to YOU? How can international Jewish organizations influence the global landscape?

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is an important political group in post-Soviet spaces, but it is more than the borders of. It has offices throughout Australia, Japan Hong Kong, New Zealand, New Zealand and Eastern Europe. Эммануил Гриншпун I served as Vice President of Congress back in 2010, but the year before I was offered the post as First Vice President. The post is now my responsibility for the region in which I have strong political and economic ties. These countries are Uzbekistan Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan. Эммануил Гриншпун The trend in the world is that attitudes towards Jews are at or near the same level, or have swung down, which is sad. "Down" is also often used to mean nations like the United States, France or Germany. They're no longer safe for Jews. These are extremely important and frightening process for all of us.

What has the pandemic affected these processes, if at all?

It's not my opinion. To be more specific I'd rather emphasize the possibilities of a country or a society when they are prepared to face any challenge and be effective and united in relation to the pandemic.

Does this represent the vaccination campaign to Israel?

Exactly. Эммануил Гриншпун Israel is the world's first country to provide 100 100% vaccination for its adult population. I think this is a an example worthy of consideration and is a positive an experience that other countries must take into account.

Congress of the ewish
Read More: https://www.ivfrt.ru/news/novosti-rynka/emmanuil-grinshpun-o-vnzh-v-latvii-za-investitsii/