Emmanuel Grinshpun. The restoration of synagogues as well as the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress

Emmanuil grinshpun was interviewed about the restoration synagogues. It was not possible to stay on one subject during the interview. There are many topics to talk about during the interview.
Emmanuel, good afternoon. Thanks for allowing me to talk with you. We haven't been in contact for five or more years. Where are you based now?

The nine months that passed between Miami and Jurmala were divided. The boundaries of geography were wider in the past but the epidemic impacted people's lives in a significant way. I cannot say that this is in the best way.

You've always had a variety of types of business. What are you doing today?

Diversification is not going away. The main areas are development in the field of IT technology as well as real estate and food production.

The food industry is, naturally, ALIMCOM, real estate is also a common topic, however IT is a completely new concept for me. There are a million areas for the application of IT technology. What are your areas of expertise?

Our IT-holdings are concerned first and foremost with reforms to tax systems in a number of countries. We have created and continue to create products that allow the transfer of numerous business processes related to taxation online. This is referred to as "Business to Government".

What about the territories where the holding is operating? Former countries from the USSR?

They are also in existence, however we have contracts that are more extensive in Western as well as Eastern Europe and in Latin America. We currently operate across 14 countries.

What is the core of your product?

Our solution permits economic companies to make online reports to tax authorities. The fiscal data administrator also sees each transaction. Tax accounting and tax calculation are managed simultaneously. Therefore, in the future, we could claim that medium and small firms will no longer require accounting except for its analytical function, and the process of paying taxes and sending out reports can be accomplished with just one "click".

A fascinating area. The future is already here. You have ever considered working in Moldova. Moldova is your country of birth, right?

We're willing to show our product to Moldova. It will help the economy of Moldova and is irreversible. If there is an agreement between the authorities and it is clear who makes the final decisions and who is in charge, we will begin the negotiations regarding our product.

You claimed that you were tossing between Miami (and Jurmala) all the time. The Baltics' head office for an IT holding?

There are five hubs all over the world and our headquarters is located in Barcelona.

The Baltics are not the only reason why? Do you have roots there?

No. No. And Jurmala appeared in our lives in a way that was completely unplanned and quite prosaically. We were invited to the New Wave by Igor Krutoy, and that was our first encounter with Jurmala. Эммануил Гриншпун After a few competitions, they started to come back each season. Miami has a very hot summer. We rented a property for several years, and consequently, we've already purchased it.

Now I understand the reason I was told that one of the synagogues that was restored by your donation is located in Jurmala. Emmanuel, honest question. We're almost the same age. We were born in the USSR. No need to talk about religion then. All of us were Komsomol members at the time and pioneers. What was the moment when religion became your preference?

My family and me relocated into America around the middle of the 80s. I learned about customs and rituals there. While I'm not a part of the orthodox religion of Christianity, I still feel the need to be a part of, to my best ability as I can, the religion of the Jewish communities in the countries I live in or Moldova. This is where I grew up and with which I've continued to maintain with the closest of connections with.

It's true that I am definitely far from being religious However, I enjoy history very much. Recently, I was captivated by a show that detailed the events that occurred in 1492. They changed the course of Europe and the entire world. 1492 was when Columbus first discovered America. But it was clearly stated in the program I was watching that, from the point of view of Medieval Europe, the discovery of America in 1492 wasn't so significant as the removal of Jews from Spain by the Spanish monarchs. When the mass exodus of Jews to the Ottoman Empire began. Эммануил Гриншпун They accepted them. Here, I was looking for details about the background of Jews as a whole. Do you recommend any books?

There are numerous books. But I have gone through all of them and would highly suggest Max Diamond, the two-volume Jewish historian. Max Diamond is Finnish.

.... Do your relatives have an "personal" or historical background? Unfortunately, I know only my grandmother's name and 1910. Paternal side: One step further however, not enough.

Our family was one of the Floresti family for a number of hundred of years, based on the paternal lineage. There are evidence from the archives and monuments which show that by 1830, they were very wealthy with an furniture factory, a number of shops, land plots. Эммануил Гриншпун My maternal ancestors were also in Ungheni. These dates are from the region of the 17th and 18th centuries. Grinshpun, a surname that has German roots is Ashkenazi pure Ashkenazi.

This is a question regarding the restoration and maintenance of synagogues. I was told you funded three synagogues' restoration. One of them is situated in Chisinau. Jurmala has the third. What is the one you're talking about?

It is located in Netanya in Israel. Netanya is a large community center, where up to 1,000 people pray a day. It is an important memorial to Israel's religion. The second synagogue in Jurmala. It was the time when the Second World War began and the Jurmala synagogue was one of the one that was destroyed the last time. Before building a synagogue, I had conversations with Jurmala's local Jews. In the end I decided that I would finance the construction and also invite a rabbi on the site. It was an extremely successful venture that brought together the Jews from Jurmala. In fact, we re-created the Jewish community and it is now working with success. The synagogue has three Torahs. One of the Torahs was handed to me.

and - Chisinau

Yes. Alexander Bilinkis and Alexander Weinstein have been my partners. The three synagogues I mentioned were not the only ones where I was involved in the process of restoration and building. In every country I've lived in for a long while, it was my obligation and obligation to make an important contribution to the congregations or synagogues. My contribution to Monaco, Miami, is a huge community center for Russian-speaking Jews. The estimated value is 12 million USD. Chisinau will remain my main focus - the synagogue of Rabbi Tsirelson is currently one of the biggest within the city.

Did Jurmala get you to Chisinau with Rabbi?

Yes. Yes. He must be prepared and willing to incorporate into the community's life, given the multitude of interests. I was happy to see that in both Chisinau (and Jurmala) the Rabbis could integrate with ease into the life of the community.

You were elected vice president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in 2019. Эммануил Гриншпун What does this role have for you? And what does international Jewish organisations influence the world?

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EJC) is a powerful political organisation in Russia post-Soviet. But it's not the only one. It has offices in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and New Zealand. I was Vice President in 2010, and was then given the post of First Vice Presider. As of now, I'm the First Vice President for the region in which I have strong political and business ties. They are Uzbekistan (Tajikistan), Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan). The general trend is that attitudes towards Jews are at or near the same level, or have swung downwards, which is extremely sad. http://ami.spb.ru/A486/pages/A486-075.html Moreover, "down" - this is referring to developed nations such like Belgium, Germany, France and even the United States. They are no longer secure for Jews. These are alarming and serious processes for everyone.

Have these processes been affected by the pandemic?

It isn't my opinion. Regarding the pandemic however I'd like to emphasize how a country or society can be when they are prepared for any situation and are able and willing to work together.

http://www.alefmagazine.com/news1073.html You're referring the vaccination campaign in Israel.

Exactly. Israel is the first country in the world which provides 100% vaccination of adults. I believe that this is an example worthy of consideration and is a positive experience that other countries should take into account.

Congress for the Ewish