Notes

Emmanuel Grinshpun. The restoration of synagogues and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress
Emmanuil grinshpun discussed the maintenance and restoration of synagogues. However, it wasn't possible to focus on only one topic. Therefore, there are a variety of topics in the interview, after all.
Эммануил Гриншпун Emmanuel, good afternoon. It was a pleasure to have you meet. We haven't seen each other for at least five or more years. Where are you currently located?

The nine months that passed between Miami and Jurmala were divided. The boundaries between the two were more extensive in the past, however the pandemic affected people's lives greatly. It is a pity that it has been for the worse.

You have always had several types of business. What are you doing right now?

Diversification isn't going anywhere. The major areas of growth are in IT technologies as well as real estate and food production.

ALIMCOM is an expert in the field of food, while real estate is easier comprehended. IT is totally new to me. There are millions of potential areas for applying IT technology. Which area are you most interested in?

Our IT-holding focus is on reforming the tax systems of a number nations. We have created and continue to develop tools that aid in the transfer of numerous business processes related to online taxation. This type of segment is known as B2G ("Business to Government").

How about the locations where the holding operates? The ancestors of the USSR

They are in existence. We have additional contracts in Western, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. We currently operate in 14 countries.

What's the essence of your product?

Our solution lets economic agents online submit tax reports to tax authorities and the fiscal administrator is able to view every transaction. Tax accounting and tax calculation can be completed simultaneously. In the future small and medium-sized enterprises do not require accounting. All that's needed is an analytical task. It is possible to pay taxes and submit reports with a single click.

A fascinating topic. The future appears to be here. Did you ever consider being employed in Moldova? Moldova is your country of origin at the end of the day.

We are ready to showcase our product to Moldova. It will benefit the economy of Moldova and it is irreversible. We will resume negotiations on our product once there is assurance from the authorities.

You said that you were tossing around between Miami (and Jurmala) all year. The Baltics have a head office to an IT holding?

No, there five hubs across the world and our headquarters is in Barcelona.

Why not the Baltics? There are roots.

No. There is no. Jurmala was introduced to our lives through chance and quite prosaically. It was Igor Krutoy who invited us to New Wave for the first time. After winning many competitions, they started to go there each summer. The climate in Miami's summer isn't the most relaxing. We rented the home for many years and recently bought it.

Now I can see the reason why my contribution was used to restore one of the synagogues located in Jurmala. Emmanuel, honest question. We are almost identical in age. We were born in the USSR. All of us were Komsomol members and pioneers at the time. What was your first experience with religion?

My family and I emigrated to the USA in the mid-80s. We all can agree that this was the time I started to accept the customs of my country. Although I'm not religiously orthodox, I feel an inner desire to be supportive of, as best possible, the spiritual lives of the Jewish community in my home country or in Moldova.

Although I'm not an agnostic, I do have a fascination with history that I truly love. Recently I was watching a documentary about the events of 1492, which changed the course of European history. 1492 is the year I love most because it was the year that Columbus was the first to discover America. However, it was stated explicitly in the program that 1492 was the year that Columbus discovered America. The Ottoman Empire accepted the Jews as they fled the country. I wanted to learn more about the culture, history and achievements of the Jews. Would you recommend a book to me?

There are many books. However, I have gone through a few of them and highly recommend Max Diamond (a two-volume Jewish historian). And, by the way Max Diamond is from Finland.

.... Do we know the family tree of our family? Unfortunately, my family tree is only one step further than 1910 and my mother. A step in the paternal lineage but nothing more.

On the paternal line, our family lived in the Floresti region for a number of hundred years. There is documentary evidence and monuments that indicate that already in 1830 they were extremely prosperous with an furniture factory, a number of shops, land plots. Ungheni was also home to my maternal grandparents. These dates are in the region between the 17th-18th centuries. Grinshpun has the German surname, and we're Ashkenazis from Eastern Europe.

This is the subject of the restoration of synagogues. http://www.alefmagazine.com/news1073.html I was informed by you that there were three synagogues being restored. One is in Chisinau and the other is in Jurmala and the third?

It is situated in Netanya in Israel. It is a massive community center where a thousand people pray each day. This is an important building to support the religious life in Israel. The second synagogue is located in Jurmala. The Second World War ended the existence of the town's sole synagogue. Before I made the decision to construct a Synagogue, however, I had talked to many Jews living in the area. The result was a very successful project that brought together all the Jews from Jurmala. We actually re-established the Jewish community. It is now working well. Three Torahs now grace the synagogue. One of which I donated to the synagogue.

And - Chisinau?

Эммануил Гриншпун Эммануил Гриншпун Yes. http://ami.spb.ru/A486/pages/A486-075.html Alexander Bilinkis is one of my partners. Эммануил Гриншпун Alexander Weinstein is another. The synagogues mentioned above are not the only ones that I helped with the restoration or construction. I felt it was my responsibility to contribute in any country where I've been for a long period to assist synagogues. Эммануил Гриншпун My contribution is currently being made in Monaco in which a massive community center for Russian-speaking Jews is being built. It is believed that it will cost approximately 12 million dollars. I will continue to support Chisinau as it is now going to be the largest synagogue, the synagogue of Rabbi Tsirelson.

In the same way as Jurmala, have you invited an rabbi to Chisinau?

Yes. It's not simple to identify the ideal person to run the community. Due to the many interconnected concerns, he should be diplomatic and nonconflictual. He must be able to organically join the community. I am very happy that both in Chisinau and Jurmala, the rabbis could be so seamlessly integrated into the daily life of their community.

In 2019, you became the first vice-president for the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. Эммануил Гриншпун What does this title mean to you and how does international Jewish organizations affect global trends?

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is a significant political organisation within the post-Soviet region however, it is not limited to. It has offices throughout Australia, Japan Hong Kong, New Zealand, New Zealand, and Eastern Europe. In 2010, I was serving as Vice President of Congress. But, in the year before, I was appointed the First Vice President. Now I am responsible to the region where I have strong political and economic relations. These countries are Uzbekistan Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan. Global trends indicate that the barometer of attitudes towards Jews is in the same place as previously or has dipped and is very depressing. Additionally, "down", refers not just to the developed nations like the United States, France, Germany and France but also to other nations like Belgium and Germany. They are not safer for Jews. These are extremely dangerous and alarming processes for all of us.

Эммануил Гриншпун In addition, has the pandemic somehow affected these processes?

It's not so. Instead, I would like to emphasize, in relation to the pandemic: what a society, or countrycan accomplish when they have the capacity to overcome any challenge and act together effectively.

You are referring to the vaccination campaign in Israel.

Exactly. Israel is first country in the world that gives 100% vaccination for adults. I consider this to be a an excellent example and a valuable the kind of experience that other countries need to take into account.

ewish Congress
Here's my website: http://www.alefmagazine.com/news1073.html