Notes

Emmanuel Grinshpun. Concerning the revival of synagogues and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress
Emmanuil Grinshpun discussed the topic of restoration of synagogues in their interview. However, it was impossible to keep the conversation on a single topic. There are a variety of topics to discuss in the interview.
Emmanuel, good afternoon. I am glad to chat with you. We haven't been in contact for 5 or more years. Where are you based now?

The past nine months were divided between Miami, Jurmala and San Francisco. The geographical boundaries were much larger in the past, but the epidemic impacted people's lives greatly. And I'm not saying that it is only to the negative.

You've always been in the business of different types of business. Do you have one now?

Diversification won't stop. If we consider the main areas of focus, it's real estate development, IT technology, and food manufacturing.

ALIMCOM is an expert in the field of food, while real estate is much more easily comprehended. IT however, is totally new to me. There are a million areas for the application of IT technology. What are your areas of expertise?

Our IT-holdings are concerned in the first place with changes to tax systems across a variety of countries. Эммануил Гриншпун We have developed and continue to design products that facilitate the transfer of numerous administrative processes that are related to taxation online. This segment is called B2G ("Business to Government").

What happens to the territories in which the holding is operating? Ex-countries of USSR

They're still available. Also, we have contracts for Western Europe as well as Latin America. We have currently activities across 14 countries.

What is the essence of your product?

Our software allows economic operators to submit online tax reports to tax authorities. Fiscal data operator sees each transaction. In addition the tax accounting process and tax calculation is organized in parallel. In the future, it is possible to say that mid-sized and small-sized businesses are not going to require accounting.

It's an interesting topic. The future is right around the corner. Did you ever consider being employed in Moldova? Moldova is your country of birth isn't it?

We are able to show our product in Moldova. This is an enormous benefit to the Moldovan economy and , in any event, an irreversible change. Now, when there is clarity from the authorities and it is evident who takes the decision and who makes the decisions, we'll resume the discussions about our product.

You said that you'd been tossing between Miami and Jurmala all year. The head office of an IT holding in the Baltics?

No, we have five hubs all over the globe , and our main office is located in Barcelona.

Why then the Baltics? Do you have roots in the Baltics?

No. My family's history has been tied to Moldova for many generations. If we are to keep our historical names, then it is with Bessarabia. Jurmala came into our lives by chance and quite prosaically. Эммануил Гриншпун We were invited to attend the New Wave by Igor Krutoy, and that was our first encounter with Jurmala. After a few events, they started to visit every summer, in Miami the climate in summer is not the most pleasant. We were able to rent for a number of years an apartment and are now in possession of it.

Now I see the reason why you mentioned that the synagogues were located in Jurmala. Emmanuel, honest question. We're 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 as well as pioneers. When did you first turn to religion?

My family and I emigrated to the USA in mid-80s. It is a fact that this was the time I started to accept the customs of my country. While I don't believe in orthodoxy, I feel a deep need to support the faith-based life of Jewish communities in my own country, or Moldova. I was born in Moldova and have continued close ties with them.

While I'm not religious, I do love history. I recently watched a program about the events of 1492 that changed the course of the world as well as Europe. To me, 1492 was the year that Columbus was the first to discover America. But, it was mentioned clearly in the program that 1492 was the year when Columbus discovered America. They were accepted by the Ottoman Empire when the mass exodus began of Jews to the Ottoman Empire. I am interested in finding out more about the history and culture of the Jews. Would you recommend this book?

There are numerous books to choose from, but I have read and recommend you to read a two-volume Jewish historian Max Diamond. And, by the way, he is from Finland.

What is your "personal" background ? Unfortunately, I'm not much further than my grandmother and 1910. One step further in the paternal lineage, but nothing more.

Our paternal line was in Floresti for over 100 years. Their wealth was apparent through furniture factories, many stores and land plots. Documents and monuments prove this assertion. Ungheni was the place of my ancestral ancestors. I'm referring to dates between the 17th-18th Century. Grinshpun is a surname which has German roots, is Ashkenazi pure Ashkenazi.

Now here is the question about the restoration of synagogues. I was told you helped fund the restoration of three synagogues. One is located in Chisinau. Jurmala is the third.

It is located in Netanya in Israel. It is home to more than 1,000 people who worship each day. This is an important structure to support the religious life in Israel. The second synagogue in Jurmala. It was the time when the Second World War began and the Jurmala synagogue was the last to be destroyed. Prior to making the decision to build a synagogue I had spoken with many residents Jews. Эммануил Гриншпун I then decided to fund its construction and invite a Rabbi to visit it. It was a tremendously successful project that unites all the Jews from Jurmala. We even re-established the Jewish Community and it is now operating successfully. The synagogue now has three Torahs, I gave one of them to the synagogue.

and - Chisinau

Yes. Alexander Bilinkis and Alexander Weinstein were my collaborators. However, these synagogues weren't the only ones I've been involved with in their renovation or construction. I felt it was my duty to make any contribution possible in support of synagogues across the world where I have lived for a long duration. My contribution is currently in Monaco, where a large community center for Russian-speaking Jews is in the process of being constructed. It is estimated that it will cost about 12 million dollars. Chisinau will continue to be my main focus - the synagogue of Rabbi Tsirelson is currently one of the biggest in the city.

Did Jurmala or Chisinau receive an Rabbi?

Yes. It can be difficult to find the ideal rabbi for a community. He must be prepared and willing to incorporate into the community's life, due to the many interests. It is a wonderful thing that both the Jurmala and Chisinau Rabbis were able to to integrate seamlessly into the community.

In the year 2019 you were named vice-president at the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. What does this position mean to you? How will international Jewish organisations influence the global landscape?

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, a powerful organization in the post-Soviet area is not just an influential political organization. There are branches of the organization that are located in Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. I was Vice President of Congress back in 2010, however in the year prior to that I was given the position as First Vice President. Now, I'm responsible for the region in which I have strong political and business connections. They are Uzbekistan (Tajikistan), Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan). If you examine trends worldwide in the world, the barometer for attitudes towards Jews remains the same or has declined in a very negative way, which is incredibly unfortunate. Moreover, "down" - this is referring to developed nations such as Belgium, Germany, France and even the United States. They're no longer secure for Jews. They are important and frightening processes for all of us.

Does the pandemic affect these processes in some way?

That is not the way I believe. In connection to the pandemic, however I'd prefer to highlight the way a society or a nation can be when they're prepared for any challenge and are willing and able to work together.

Do you refer to the Israeli vaccination campaign?

Эммануил Гриншпун Exactly. Эммануил Гриншпун Israel is the first nation that offers the complete vaccination of its population of adults. I think this is a an excellent example and a valuable experience that other countries should consider taking into consideration.

Congress at Ewish
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