By COLlive reporter
Former Soviet Union countries, with their Jewish oligarchs and the regret over how Communists treated the Jews, are becoming a source of envy for Western Jewish communities.
While Jewish Federations and organization in America once rallied to help the hungry and poor, Russian communities are now caring for their own and even surpassing their former contributors in building magnificent edifices.
The latest example was the Menorah Center in Dnepropetrovsk, a 7-tower, 20-story cultural and community center multiplex that cost an estimated $60 million.
Spearheaded by the city’s Shliach and Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetzky, it includes 7 buildings and houses thousands of artifacts plus a community center, hotel, kosher restaurant, and art galleries.
Tomorrow, his colleague from across the border, Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar will be inaugurating the Russian Jewish Tolerance Museum, described as the world’s largest Jewish museum.
The center includes state-of-the art technology to teach the Creation, the Giving of the Ten Commandments on Har Sinai, the Holy Temples, life in the Diaspora and Jewish suffering throughout the generations.
Covering 17,000 square-meters, it will house several museum expositions dedicated to history of Jewish people, a library, a scientific center, conference halls and exhibition galleries, IsraelNationalNews.com reported.
Rabbi Lazar and Rabbi Alexander Boroda, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, met Russian President Vladimir Putin this week to invite him to the opening ceremony.
Israeli President Shimon Peres is flying in for the event.
Boroda said work began in 2007 to create the museum project, which he originated along with Rabbi Lazar. He added that the reawakening of Jewish life in the region has crowded Moscow’s 5 synagogues, and that more will be established, along with Jewish schools.
when will other people give money? when will you give money is the question. their donating millions of dollars, but for you that’s not good enough because it’s not for the rebbes mikvah. if you cared so much them why don’t you call up one of the shluchim in Russia and work something out instead up commenting how they spend they spend their money on the wrong things . who are you to tell other people what they should do with their money. at least they giving. your not. we would have nothing just relying on you at least they… Read more »
Have you given what you can?
what about the mikvah that OUR rebbe used twice a week for the later part of his life
When will people give money to fix it over!!!!!!!!