The first session of the Parliamentary Club of the World Congress of Russian-Speaking Jewry was held in Kyiv on March 6 and 7 attended by 16 politicians.
Since the Soviet Union’s collapse, Russian-speaking Jews have gained significant influence in business and politics throughout the world.The first session of the Parliamentary Club of the World Congress of Russian-Speaking Jewry (WCRJ) was held in Kyiv on March 6 and 7, attended by 16 Russian-speaking Jewish politicians, most of them members of parliament (MPs), from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the US, Israel and Germany.
Russian-speaking Jews have unique concerns distinct from their Jewish counterparts in the West, organizers said, particularly in the socio-economic, cultural and languages spheres.
“We want to make sure that those who, for example, immigrate to the US will remain Jewish, because it is very hard for them to remain as religious and ethnic as when he arrived for the first time as a Russian descendant,” said Alec Brook-Krasny, a member of the New York State Assembly from Brooklyn.
The Club includes nine Israeli Knesset MPs, two New York state assemblymen, two Russian State Duma MPs and one Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine MP.
Sergey Lagodinsky, a prominent political commentator and observer, arrived from Germany where is he active in the Social Democratic Party.
The politicians discussed improving relations between Russianspeaking Jews and shared ways to resolve social and political concerns facing Jewish communities.
“I think that a parliamentary club uniting legislators from leading countries may become a new instrument of dialogue and cooperation,” said Boris Shpigel, president of WCRJ and a deputy in the Russian Federation’s parliament.
In addressing their concerns, the politicians will be able to recruit other communities in lobbying their interests, BrookKrasny said.
Incidentally, though the meeting was held in Kyiv, no one represented the Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine.
The only Ukrainian MP present was Tymoshenko Bloc deputy Oleksandr Feldman, an influential Kharkiv businessman who initiated, organized and financed the event.
“We know Feldman is the most Jewish parliamentarian in Ukraine,” said Matvey Chlenov, deputy executive director of the WCRJ.
“As for others, they may have Jewish surnames, maybe they have Jewish identities, but they are not interested enough in this matter.”
The Congress’ biggest financier is the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, said Iosif Zisels, chairman of the Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine.
“At first, we liked the idea of this congress as it was: to gather Jews from the USSR and help them keep their identity,” Zisels said. “We split with them as they became less democratic.”
Among the sponsors, Zisels said, was the Russian organization Compatriot (Sootechestvennik), which is financed by the Institute of Eurasian Research, launched with support from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The good idea of a congress turned into one more lever of influence and as a result, broke one of our main rules of noninterference” with national affairs, he said.
“If Ukraine’s Jewish community saw that it couldn’t do something by itself, then it would ask for help, but not from Russia.”
The organization’s financial management became questionable, Zisels said, referring to it as “diversification of investments.”
Chlenov dismissed any financial management, or the notion the Congress is related to the Russian government, pointing out Feldman, a member of a political force not liked by the Kremlin, financed the first session.
“We have different private sponsors and several sources of investments,” Chlenov said.
“To have just one donor is very unstable. In Moscow and every branch of the World Congress, we have sponsors from foundations. The more sponsors you have the better.”
During the session, the politicians met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yuriy Kostenko, requesting visafree travel to Israel for Ukrainian citizens and pensions for Ukrainian citizens who live in Israel.
“In Israel, there are about half a million Jews from Ukraine,” Chlenov said.
“Most of them worked hard to lift the Ukrainian economy before they immigrated to Israel. So we think that would be just if they receive pensions from the Ukrainian government. Russia is already paying.”
Israeli Knesset MP Marina Solodkina met with First Lady of Ukraine Kateryna Yushchenko the evening of March 7, said Maryna Antonova, the First Lady’s press secretary.
They discussed Ukraine 3000’s culture, medicine and education projects.
