Notes

Emmanuel Grinshpun. Restoring synagogues as well as the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress
Emmanuil Grinshpun's topic during the interview was restoration of synagogues. But it was not possible to stay focused on just one issue. Therefore, there were many topics in the interview.
Emmanuel, good afternoon. It was an honor to meet you. We haven't seen each for five years. Where in the world is your current location?

The past nine months were divided between Miami, Jurmala and San Francisco. The boundaries of geography were larger in the past, but the pandemic affected people's lives significantly. This isn't all.

You've always had several types of business. Do you feel the same now?

Diversification isn't moving forward. The most important areas of development are in IT technologies and real estate as well as food production.

ALIMCOM's food business is ALIMCOM. Real estate may also be understood, but IT is totally new to me. There are many fields that IT technology could be used in. What are your specialties?

Our IT-holdings deal in the first place with changes to tax systems in many countries. We have developed or are developing a range products that aid with the transfer of number of business processes in taxation as well as "real-time". This segment is known by the B2G (Business to Government) acronym.

What about the area in which the holding is located? The former USSR's countries

They're still in stock. We also have agreements for Western Europe and Latin America. The current number of contracts we have is 14 countries.

Can we briefly define the essence or product?

Our product lets economic operators make online reports to tax authorities. The fiscal data administrator also monitors every transaction. It also permits tax accounting and tax computation to be performed simultaneously. Therefore, we can anticipate that small and medium-sized business will not require accounting in the future. In addition to its analytical purpose, paying taxes and sending reports are all done with one "click".

Interesting area. Эммануил Гриншпун The future is already here. Are you considering working in Moldova? Moldova is the country you were born in isn't it?

We are prepared to launch our product to Moldova and the Moldovan economy will benefit from the automation process, and regardless, this is an irreversible process. Now, when there is clarity from the authorities and it's evident who takes the decision, we will return to the discussions regarding our product.

You mentioned that you'd been tossing around between Miami and Jurmala all year. Is this the head office of an IT company based in the Baltics

No, there are five hubs all over the globe and our headquarters in Barcelona.

Why isn't it the Baltics? Эммануил Гриншпун Do you have roots there too?

No. My family's heritage has been linked to Moldova for a number of generations. Эммануил Гриншпун If we continue to use our family names from the past, it's associated with Bessarabia. Эммануил Гриншпун Jurmala was introduced to our lives through chance and in a very professional manner. When Igor Krutoy invited me to the New Wave, it was the first time we could get there. After a few competitions, they started to return every summer. Miami has a very hot summer. We rented the property for many years and then purchased it.

Now I know why you stated that a synagogue was located in Jurmala. Emmanuel, honest question. We're almost the same age. Born in the USSR. The Soviet Union was not a location to discuss religion. All of us were pioneers, and Komsomol participants. When was the first time you began to turn to religion?

My family relocated to the USA in the mid-80s. It was in the US that I started to follow rituals and customs. While I'm not a part of the traditional religion of Christianity, I still feel the need to support in the best way I can as I can, the religion of the Jewish communities of the countries I reside in or Moldova. Эммануил Гриншпун This is where I grew up and with which I've maintained the most close ties.

Well, I am definitely far from being religious, but I love the history of my country very much. I recently watched a documentary on the events of 1492 that changed the course of the world and Europe. 1492 was the year Columbus discovered America. It was however stated clearly in the programme that 1492 was the year Columbus discovered America. The mass exodus of Jews to the Ottoman Empire began, which was acquiescing to the Jewish people. I wanted to learn more about the past, culture and achievements of the Jews. Do you have any recommendations for a particular book to me?

There are a lot of books. I've read a lot of them, and I recommend Max Diamond, a two-volume Jewish historian. Max Diamond is also from Finland.

.... Do we know our family tree? My family tree is one step beyond 1910 and my maternal grandmother. I am only one step ahead of the paternal side, but not much more.

Our paternal family lived in Floresti for more than 100 years. Documentary evidence and monuments show that the Floresti family was already prospering in 1830. They owned many shops, a furniture manufacturing factory as well as land plots. My maternal ancestors also resided in Ungheni. These dates are from the the 17th and 18th centuries. Grinshpun can be described as an surname that has German roots. This is why we are Ashkenazis straight from Eastern Europe.

Here's the question about the maintenance and restoration of synagogues. I heard that you have funded three synagogues' restoration. One of them is located in Chisinau and the other is located in Jurmala. The third one is in Jurmala.

The third largest is in Netanya, Israel. It is a massive community center where over 1000 worshippers gather each day. It is a significant landmark in the spiritual life of Israel. The second synagogue is located in Jurmala. The sole synagogue in Jurmala was destroyed at the beginning of the Second World War. Before I decided to build a Synagogue, however, I had talked to many Jews living in the area. It was a highly successful project, which united all the Jews in Jurmala. Эммануил Гриншпун Actually, the Jewish community was re-created and now is in good standing. Three Torahs are now in the synagogue. I also gave one Torah to the synagogue.

and - Chisinau

Yes. Alexander Bilinkis is one of my partners. Alexander Weinstein is another. These three synagogues weren't the only ones I was involved in restoration and building. I believed it was my duty to contribute in any country where I've been for a long time to assist synagogues. My contribution to Monaco is the building of a community center in Miami for Russian-speaking Jews and is estimated to be 12 million dollars. I continue to help Chisinau. The center will soon become the biggest synagogue within the city, and the synagogue Rabbi Tsirelson.

Also, did you invite an rabbi from Chisinau to join Jurmala?

Yes. It's not easy to identify the ideal person to run the community. He must be prepared and willing to incorporate in the daily life of the community considering the variety of interests. I was happy to see that in both Chisinau (and Jurmala) the rabbis were capable of integrating with ease into the life of the community.

In 2019, you were the first vice-president for the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. What does this position mean to you? And how do international Jewish organizations influence the global trend across the globe?

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is a powerful political organization within the post-Soviet region, but not only. It has offices in Eastern Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia. I was Vice President in 2010 and then given the post of First Vice-President. I now oversee the regions where I have had strong business and political ties. They are Uzbekistan Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The trend in the world is that the attitudes toward Jews are either on the same level or have swung down, which is sad. Additionally, "down", refers not just to the developed nations like the United States, France, Germany and France but also to other countries such as Belgium as well as Germany. These are not safe for Jews. They are extremely dangerous and disturbing events that affect everyone of us.

By the way, has the pandemic somehow had an impact on these processes?

It isn't my personal opinion. To be more specific I'd like to highlight the possibilities of a nation or society when they are prepared to face any challenge and can be effective and united when confronted with the pandemic.

Does this represent the vaccination campaign for Israel?

Exactly. Israel is the world's first nation to offer 100 percent vaccination to its entire adult population. This is an example that I believe other nations should consider.

Congress ewish
Read More: https://stmegi.com/posts/61743/evreyskie-lidery-obsudili-v-moldove-voprosy-borby-s-antisemitizmom/