MINSK, 15 October (BelTA) – The education center Slonim opened in Elad, Israel on 15 October, BelTA learned from the Belarusian embassy.
The official ceremony was attended by Belarus' Ambassador to Israel Vladimir Skvorstov, representatives of the Elad City Hall, the Israeli Ministry of Education. A tree was planted in front of the center as a sign of historical ties with the Jewish community of Belarus.
Speaking at the event, Vladimir Skvortsov made an emphasis on centuries-long good neighborly relations between Belarusians and Jews.
“I am confident that the works which are underway in Belarus to restore the places of Jewish historical memory will promote the increase of visitor numbers to Belarus. Among the places of interest and religious pilgrimage can be many sites, including the grave of prophet Avraham Weinberg who set up the Hasidic dynasty in Slonim in the 19th century,” said the diplomat.
Literally in a week Minsk will host the official Days of Remembrance dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the destruction of the Minsk ghetto, one of the largest in Europe, Vladimir Skvortsov informed the participants of the event. Prior to this sad date, on 19 October, the Israeli Association of Immigrants from Belarus together with the embassy will hold a a commemorative meeting in Yaar HaKdoshim Forest near Jerusalem at the monument that has the soil bright from the ghetto sites across Belarus, one of which was in Slonim.
The event ended with a guided tour of the educational center. The Belarusian ambassador met with the heads of Hasidic communities who arrived from different cities of Israel. Prospects for establishing formal partnerships between the Israeli city of Elad and Belarusian Slonim were discussed with the representatives of the Elad mayoral office.
The chairman of the community of the Slonim Hasidim in Israel Shlomo Weinberg gave a strong approval of the cooperation with the Slonim authorities and expressed confidence that the twinning of the two cities would give impetus to the dialogue in various fields, including trade, economy, humanitarian affairs and tourism.
Photo courtesy of the Belarusian embassy in Israel
