Notes

Emmanuel Grinshpun. Concerning the revival of synagogues and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress
Emmanuil Grinshpun's subject for the interview was restoration of synagogues. The discussion was not sufficiently specific. There were many other topics mentioned during the interview.
Emmanuel, good afternoon. I'm happy to a talk with you. I don't think we have met for over five years. Are you now based in?

The past nine months were divided between Miami, Jurmala and San Francisco. The geographical boundaries were much wider in the past but the epidemic impacted people's lives significantly. I cannot say that this is a good thing for anyone.

You've always been in the business of different lines of business. What are you doing now?

Diversification will not go away. If we focus on the most important areas then development in realty, IT, and food production are the three most important areas.

ALIMCOM is the industry of food. Real estate is also easily understood. But it's a bit new to me. There are millions of applications of IT technology. What is your area of expertise?

Our IT-holdings deal mostly with the reforms to tax systems in a number of countries. We have developed or are developing a range products to aid with the transfer of range of business processes that are in taxation as well as "real-time". This is referred to as "Business to Government".

What is the situation in the area where the holding is located? Formerly, were they part of the USSR?

There are other options, however we have more agreements in Western as well as Eastern Europe as well as Latin America. We currently operate in 14 countries.

What is the core of your product?

Our software makes it possible for economic agents to submit tax reports online. The fiscal data administrator can view every transaction. Tax calculation and tax accounting can be simultaneously handled. In the near future, small and medium-sized companies will no longer need accounting. All that's required is an analytical task. It is possible to pay taxes and submit reports with just one click.

This is an interesting topic. Have you tried to work in Moldova? Moldova is your home country...

We are now ready to introduce our product to Moldova and the Moldovan economy will gain from this automation. And regardless, this is a permanent process. Once there is consensus and clarity among the authorities on who makes the final decisions We'll begin negotiations regarding our product.

You stated that you've been bouncing around all the year about Miami, Jurmala. Does this represent the headquarters of an IT company based in the Baltics

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

Why isn't it the Baltics? Are you from there? too?

No. There is no. Jurmala entered our lives by chance and in a very professional manner. We were invited to attend the New Wave by Igor Krutoy, and that was our first experience with Jurmala. After winning numerous competitions the group began going there each summer. Miami's summer climate is not the best. We were able to rent for a number of years an apartment and are now in possession of it.

Now I understand 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. Эммануил Гриншпун It was not necessary to talk about religion then. All of us were Komsomol members in the early days and pioneers. When was the time when religion became your personal choice?

My family and I emigrated to the USA in the mid-80s. We can all say that this was the time I first began to respect customs. Эммануил Гриншпун Even now, I am far from the traditional religion. I am just feeling an inner need to help as much as my ability the spiritual life of the Jewish community in the countries where I live or in Moldova which is where I am from and with which I have the most close bonds.

You see, although I am far from being religion-based, the subject of history is one I really enjoy. I recently watched an documentary on 1492 and the way it altered Europe's fate. 1492 was the year Columbus was the first to discover America. It was evident on the program that the discovery of America was initiated in 1492 but not from the Medieval European perspective. This was apparent in the show that I watched. They were granted acceptance by the Ottoman Empire when the mass exodus began of Jews to the Ottoman Empire. Here I wanted to read some information about the history of the Jews as a people. Эммануил Гриншпун Эммануил Гриншпун Would you recommend any of the books?

There are a lot of books there, but I've personally read them all and would recommend Max Diamond's double-volume Jewish history. He is Finnish himself.

.... Do your relatives have a "personal" or historical backstory? Unfortunately, I do not know much beyond my grandmother and 1910. The paternal side is just one step closer, but nothing more.

Our family was a part of Floresti for hundreds of years, according to our paternal line. Documentary evidence and monuments show that the family of Floresti was wealthy by 1830. They owned several shops, a furniture manufacturing factory and land plots. Ungheni was the home of my maternal grandparents. I'm referring to dates in the region from the 17th-18thcentury. Grinshpun is a surname with German roots. We are Ashkenazis from Eastern Europe.

This is a question regarding the maintenance and restoration of synagogues. I was told that you had funded the reconstruction of three synagogues. One is in Chisinau and the other is located in Jurmala and the third?

The third largest and biggest is in Netanya, Israel. There are more than 1,000 people every day. It is a significant landmark in the Israeli religious history. The second synagogue is located in Jurmala. The only synagogue in Jurmala was destroyed at the start of the Second World War. Before I made the decision to construct an Synagogue, I had spoken to a lot of Jews living in the area. It was a very profitable project that united all the Jews in Jurmala. In fact the Jewish community was re-created and now is functioning in good standing. The synagogue is now home to three Torahs, I gave one of them to the synagogue.

& - Chisinau

Yes. Here I have already joined forces with partners - Alexander Bilinkis and Alexander Weinstein. These three synagogues aren't the only ones that I was involved in the restoration or construction. It was my obligation to contribute to the support of synagogues in all countries I have lived for some time. In Monaco there is a huge center for Russian-speaking Jews has been built. My contribution is around 12 million dollars. I don't stop supporting Chisinau as it is now going to be the biggest synagogue, the synagogue of Rabbi Tsirelson.

Also, did you invite Rabbis from Chisinau to join Jurmala?

Yes. It can be very difficult to find the right Rabbi for your community. He must be capable and willing to be integrated into the community's life, due to the many things to do. I'm happy to report that both in Chisinau as well as in Jurmala the Rabbis were able to be integrated into the community.

In 2019, you became the first vice-president for the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. What does this role affect you? How will international Jewish organizations impact global trends?

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is an influential political organisation in post-Soviet countries, however, it is more than that. There are offices as well in Australia and Japan. I served as Vice President of Congress back in 2010, however, in the year prior to that I was offered the post of the First Vice President. Now I am responsible for the region where I have historically strong connections to both politics and business which are the "countries", Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. As for trends across the world the barometer of attitudes toward Jews remains at the current level or has swung lower in a very sad way. "Down" can also be often used to mean countries such the United States, France or Germany. They are no longer secure for Jews. These are extremely serious and disturbing processes that affect all of us.

Are these processes affected by the virus?

It is not what I am claiming to believe. To be more precise I'd rather emphasize the potential of a society or nation when they are prepared to face any challenge and be effective and united in relation to the pandemic.

What do you mean by HTML0? to?

Exactly. Israel is the first nation that offers 100% vaccination of its population of adults. http://jewseurasia.org/page16/news14335.html This is an excellent example to follow and is something that every country should be aware of.

Congress at Ewish
My Website: http://jewseurasia.org/page16/news14335.html