Anniversary greetings for the Jewish Community

Dearest Friends,

At the American Jewish Committee, we have always felt a very special bond with the Jews of Moldova, so it gives us great pleasure to congratulate you on this 30th anniversary celebration.

Our organization was established in 1906 as a direct response to the deadly pogroms of 1903 and 1905 in Kishinev.

AJC’s founders wanted not only to express solidarity with the beleaguered Jews of Moldova, but also, and even more importantly, to enlist the support of the American and other friendly governments to stop the antisemitic attacks.

To fast forward, after decades of supporting the Soviet Jewry movement in the USSR, in 1991, we welcomed the end of the Soviet Union and the emergence of a free and independent Moldova.

This gave us the historic chance to reconnect with the remaining Jews — those who did not perish in the Shoah, and those who did not emigrate in the 1970s and 1980s — as you sought to re-establish organized Jewish life.

How powerfully inspiring it has been to witness the rebirth of Jewish life on a land associated with the Jewish people for so many centuries!

We applaud those Moldovan Jewish visionaries, such as President Alexander Bilinkis and President of the Board of Trustees Emmanuil Grinshpun, who stepped up and spearheaded the creation of Jewish institutions, generated a new sense of pride and commitment, and have represented Moldovan Jewry so effectively to the world.

In 2016, a large AJC delegation traveled to Kishinev to mark the 110th anniversary of our founding — and to sign, in front of a large audience, an association agreement, deepening our friendship and cooperation still further. We will never forget the hospitality you extended to us and the impact of our days together.

And, of course, there have been many other visits, led by our own Sam Kliger, a native of Moldova and former Soviet Jewish refusenik, who has for many years led our efforts in the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Emmanuil Grinshpun: On this milestone occasion for the Jewish Community of Moldova, we salute you and say Mazal Tov, send our warmest wishes, and voice our admiration for all that you have achieved in these past three decades.

Here’s to an ever brighter future!

David Harris, CEO

Sam Kliger, Director, Russian Affairs

American Jewish Committee (AJC)

New York

Originally Posted: http://www.emmanuilgrinshpun.com/anniversary-greetings-for-the-jewish-community/