Notes

Emmanuel Grinshpun. On the restoration of synagogues as well as the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress
The topic of the interview with Emmanuil Grinshpun concerns the restoration of synagogues. It was difficult to stick to one issue during the discussion. So there are more subjects to discuss in the interview after all.
Emmanuel, good afternoon. I am glad to chat with you. I believe we haven’t seen eachother in at least five years. Are you now in?

In the last nine months, Miami and Jurmala split the difference. Although the geographic region was more extensive in the past, the pandemic has had profound effects on the way that people live. And, by the way I'm not able to say that only for the worse.

You've always owned several lines of business. What about now?

Diversification hasn’t changed. The most important areas of development are in the field of IT technology as well as real estate and food production.

ALIMCOM understands the food industry and real estate is easier understood. IT is completely new to me. There are a million possible areas to apply IT technology. Which area are you most intrigued by?

Эммануил Гриншпун Our IT-holdings are involved, first of all, with tax system reforms in a number of countries. We have developed and are currently working on products that allow you to transfer a variety of business processes that relate to taxation online. This area is known as the B2G (Business To Government) acronym.

What is the situation in the area where the holding is located? The USSR's former countries

There are other options, however we also have agreements in Western as well as Eastern Europe as well as Latin America. We are currently present in 14 nations.

What is the essence of your product?

Our solution permits economic companies to submit online tax reports to tax authorities. The fiscal data administrator also monitors every transaction. Tax calculation and tax accounting are managed simultaneously. In the near future, we can claim that medium and small companies will not require accounting, except for its analysis, and paying taxes and sending reports can be accomplished with just only one "click".

Эммануил Гриншпун An interesting topic. The future is here. Did you ever consider working in Moldova? After all, Moldova is your native country...

We're willing to showcase the product to Moldova. This is extremely beneficial to the Moldovan economy, and in any event, an irreversible transition. Now, when there is clarity from the authorities and it is certain who is the one making the decisions and who makes the decisions, we'll resume the discussion regarding our product.

You've said you've been tossing about all year long between Miami and Jurmala. Does this represent the headquarters of an IT company based in the Baltics

We have five hubs in the world, with our headquarters in Barcelona.

Эммануил Гриншпун Why not the Baltics? Are you from there?

No. The history of my family through generations is entwined only with Moldova or If we stick to historical names, then Bessarabia. Jurmala was an accidental encounter which happened completely unintentionally. The first time we met there was when Igor Krutoy invited us to the New Wave. They began to make it a regular summer trip following a series of events. But the weather in Miami isn't the most pleasant during the summer. We rented a property for a number of years, and now we own it.

Now I understand the reason why my contribution was used to rebuild one of the synagogues in Jurmala. Emmanuel, honest question. We are almost identical in age. We were born in the USSR. It was not necessary to discuss religion back then. All of us were Komsomol members and pioneers. When was the time when religion became your choice?

My family and I emigrated to the USA in mid-80s. We all can agree that this was the time I first began to respect customs. While I may not be religiously orthodox, I feel the urge to help in the best way I can, the religious lives of the Jewish community in my country of origin or in Moldova.

While I'm not a religious person, I do love the history of my country. Recently, I watched a show about events in 1492 that changed the fate of the world as well as Europe. 1492 is for me the year in which Columbus discovered America. https://answers.informer.com/index.php?qa=user&qa_1=emmanuil.grinshpunveku231 It was however stated clearly in the programme that 1492 was the year when Columbus discovered America. They were granted acceptance by the Ottoman Empire when the mass exodus started of Jews to the Ottoman Empire. I was looking to learn some information about the history of the Jews as a group. Would you recommend this book?

There are numerous books. But I've completed all of them, and I would suggest Max Diamond, the two-volume Jewish historian. He is from Finland and is, in fact, from Finland.

.... Do you or your family members have an "personal" or historical background? Unfortunately, I only know my grandmother and 1910. On the paternal side, I am one step further, but no more.

Our family was a part of Floresti for a period of several hundred years according to our paternal lineage. There are evidence and monuments that show they were wealthy up to 1830. My maternal ancestors were also in Ungheni. I'm talking about dates in the region between the 17th and 18th centuries. Grinshpun is a surname that has German roots, so we are pure Ashkenazi from Eastern Europe.

Let's discuss the restoration of synagogues. I have been told that you funded the reconstruction of three synagogues. One is located in Chisinau. Jurmala has the other. What is the one you're talking about?

The third, and also the biggest one, is located in Netanya. It is home to over 1,000 people who attend prayer each day. It is a significant building for the spiritual life of Israel. The second synagogue in Jurmala. The Second World War began and the Jurmala synagogue was the last one to be destroyed. Before constructing a synagogue I had conversations with the local Jews. Based on this, I decided to finance the construction and also invite a rabbi to the site. It was a great success and united the Jews of Jurmala. In reality, we rebuilt the Jewish community and it is now operating with success. The synagogue has three Torahs. One of these Torahs was given to me.

and Chisinau

Yes. Alexander Bilinkis and Alexander Weinstein were my collaborators. These synagogues aren't only the ones in my involvement in restoration or construction. I felt it was my duty to contribute to any country in which I've lived for a long period to support synagogues. Therefore, my contribution is in Monaco, in Miami the largest community center for Russian-speaking Jews is being built, worth about 12 million dollars. I continue to assist Chisinau. It will soon become the biggest synagogue within the city, and the synagogue Rabbi Tsirelson.

In along with Jurmala, have you invited an rabbi to Chisinau?

Yes. It is not easy to identify the ideal person to manage the community. Because of the interconnectedness between his interests, he must be diplomatic and non-conflict, able to naturally enter the community. And it is a great thing that both the Jurmala and Chisinau rabbis were able integrate so harmoniously in the community.

You were elected vice-president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in 2019. Эммануил Гриншпун What is this title imply to you and how will international Jewish organisations impact the global landscape?

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is a influential political group in the post-Soviet era, but not only. It has offices in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and New Zealand. I was Vice President in 2010 and then given the post as First Vice President. I now have responsibility for the region in which I have strong political and business relations. These "countries" include Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Эммануил Гриншпун When you look at the global trends in the world, the barometer for attitudes toward Jews remains the same or has declined and is extremely sad. Furthermore, "down", refers not just to countries with developed economies such as the United States, France, Germany and France but also other nations like Belgium as well as Germany. These countries are no longer safe to Jews. These are very important, dangerous process for us all.

Has the pandemic affected these processes?

It is not what I believe. In fact, in the context of the pandemic I'd like to point out the things that a nation and society can achieve when they're ready for any situation and are able work effectively in tandem.

What do you mean by HTML0? to?

Exactly. Israel is the only country to offer 100% vaccination for its adults. This is an excellent model to emulate and one all nations must be aware of.

Congress at Ewish
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