Notes

Emmanuel Grinshpun. Restoring synagogues and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress
The topic of the conversation with Emmanuil Grinshpun is the restoration of synagogues. The conversation was too narrowly focused. There are a variety of topics to talk about during the interview.
Emmanuel, good afternoon. It was great to have you meet. I believe we haven’t seen one another for at least five years. Where are you currently based?

The past nine months have been divided between Miami and Jurmala. Although the geographic area was larger in the past, the pandemic has had an enormous impact on the way people live. And I'm not saying that it is only for the worse.

There have been many avenues of work for you. What about now?

Diversification isn't going away. When we look at the major areas that are developing, it's realty, IT technologies as well as food production.

ALIMCOM understands the food industry, while real estate is much more easily comprehended. IT however, is completely new information to me. There are millions of applications of IT technology. What do you excel at?

Our IT-holding is involved, first of all, with reforms of tax systems in several countries. We've created or are working on a variety of products to aid with the transfer of a number of business processes related to taxation, in both online and "real-time". This type of business is called B2G (Business-to-Government).

But what about the area in which the holding is based? The USSR's former countries

They are also available, but we have more agreements to be signed in Western as well as Eastern Europe as well as Latin America. We are currently present in 14 nations.

What's the core of your product?

Our software allows online economic agents to file tax returns, and the fiscal operator is able to view every transaction. It also permits tax accounting as well as tax computation to be carried out simultaneously. Thus, in the future, small and medium-sized businesses won't need accounting, unless it is for an purpose of analysis. Paying taxes and sending reports are done with just one "click".

It's a fascinating topic. Эммануил Гриншпун The future is right around the corner. Have you tried to work in Moldova? It's true, Moldova is your native country...

We are available to present the product to Moldova. This will be an enormous benefit to the Moldovan economy and , in all likelihood, an irreversible change. If there is an agreement between the authorities and it is clear who is making the decisions the decisions, we'll resume the discussions about our product.

You said that you've been tossing about all the year about Miami, Jurmala. What is the headquarters of an IT holding in the Baltics?

We have five hubs around the globe , and our main office is in Barcelona.

https://www.prwave.ro/emmanuil-grinshpun-cum-sa-investesti-in-imobiliare/ Why you're in the Baltics then? Are you from there? too?

No. No. And Jurmala appeared in our lives quite by accident and quite prosaically. We were invited to the New Wave by Igor Krutoy, and that was our first encounter with Jurmala. After winning many competitions and having a great time, they began to travel there every summer. The climate in Miami's summer isn't the most relaxing. We rented for several years an apartment and are now in possession of it.

Now I know why you told me that there were synagogues located in Jurmala. Emmanuel, honest question. We're about identical in age. We were both born in the USSR. There was no need to discuss religion then. We were all Komsomol members at the time , and were pioneers. What was your first time you changed your religion?

My family and I immigrated to the USA in mid-80s. We all can agree that this was the time I first began to respect the customs of my country. While I'm not a part of the Christian faith that is orthodox I feel the need to be a part of, to my best ability, the religious life in the Jewish community of the countries I reside in or in Moldova. That's where I grew up and with which I've maintained the most close connections with.

You see, although I am far from being religion-based, the subject of history is one I really love. Recently, I was captivated by a documentary that covered the events that occurred in 1492. They changed the destiny of Europe and the world. 1492 was the year Columbus was the first to discover America. The program I watched clearly explained that the discovery of America in 1492 wasn't nearly as significant as the Spanish monarchs exile of Jews from Spain. When the mass exodus of Jews towards the Ottoman Empire began. They welcomed them. I am interested in finding out more about the past and the culture of the Jews. Do you think this book is worth recommending?

There are a lot of books available. I've read most of them, and I would recommend Max Diamond, a two-volume Jewish historian. Эммануил Гриншпун He is Finnish himself.

.... Do we know the family tree of our family? My family tree is one step ahead of 1910 and my maternal grandmother. Paternal relatives are one step closer, but not any further.

Our family lived in Floresti for many hundred years in accordance with our paternal lineage. Documentary evidence and monuments show that the family of Floresti was prosperous by 1830. They owned several stores, a furniture factory as well as land plots. Ungheni was home to my maternal grandparents. This is referring to dates from the region between the 17th and 18th centuries. Grinshpun is a surname which has German roots is Ashkenazi pure Ashkenazi.

Эммануил Гриншпун Here is the issue about the restoration of synagogues. I have been informed that you financed the reconstruction of three synagogues. One is located in Chisinau and the other is located in Jurmala. The third one is in Jurmala.

The third and most important, is located in Netanya (Israel). There are more than 1,000 people every day. A very significant object for the life of religion in Israel. Second synagogue in Jurmala. The Second World War ended the existence of the only synagogue in Jurmala. Prior to making the decision to build an orthodox synagogue, I had talked with several residents Jews. I decided to finance its construction and invite a Rabbi to visit it. Эммануил Гриншпун It was an extremely successful venture that united the Jews from Jurmala. Эммануил Гриншпун In reality, we rebuilt the Jewish community. It is now functioning successfully. Now the synagogue has three Torahs I donated one of them to the synagogue.

and Chisinau

Yes. Alexander Bilinkis (left) and Alexander Weinstein (right) have joined me here. These synagogues are not the only ones which I have contributed to the reconstruction or building. I felt it was my obligation to contribute in support of synagogues in countries where I've resided for a considerable period of duration. My contribution is currently in Monaco which is where a huge community centre for Russian-speaking Jews is in the process of being constructed. It is estimated that it will cost approximately 12 million dollars. I continue to help Chisinau. The center will soon become the largest synagogue in the city, and the synagogue Rabbi Tsirelson.

Did you also invite an rabbi from Chisinau to join Jurmala?

Yes. It can be very difficult to find the right rabbi to serve the needs of the community. Due to the many interests involved, the rabbi must be non-conflictual and diplomatic and able to integrate seamlessly into the lives of the community. And I am pleased that both in Chisinau as well as in Jurmala, the rabbis could be so seamlessly integrated into the lives of the community.

You were elected vice-president for the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in 2019. What does this role mean to you? How do international Jewish organizations impact global trends globally?

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is a powerful political organization in the post-Soviet space, but not only. It has offices in Eastern Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia. In 2010, I was serving as Vice President of Congress. In the previous year, I was appointed the First Vice President. I now oversee the regions in which I've been able to establish strong political and business connections. These include Uzbekistan Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The world's trends show that the barometer of attitudes towards Jews is in the same place as before or has declined quite a bit, which is extremely disappointing. "Down" can also be used to refer to nations like the United States, France or Germany. They are not safe anymore to Jews. These are extremely dangerous and alarming process for all of us.

Are these processes affected by the virus?

This isn't just my view. To be more precise I'd rather emphasize the possibilities of a society or nation in the event that they are ready to face any challenge and be effective and united when confronted with the pandemic.

Does this represent the vaccination campaign for Israel?

Эммануил Гриншпун Exactly. Israel is the only country in the world which gives 100% vaccination for adults. I think this is a good example and an experience other countries should emulate.

Ewish Congress
Here's my website: https://emmanuilgrinshpun.wordpress.com/