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Reimer Delgado posted an update 2 years, 11 months ago
Emmanuil Grinshpun spoke about the subject of the restoration of synagogues during their interview. It was not possible to stay on one subject during the interview. There are plenty of subjects to discuss in the interview.
Emmanuel, good afternoon. I’m happy to a talk with you. We haven’t seen each other in five years. What part of the globe are you located now?
The past nine months were split between Miami, Jurmala and San Francisco. The geography used to be more extensive, but the flu has affected life in both cities. I can’t say for certain that this is a good thing for anyone.
You’ve always been in the business of multiple kinds of businesses. Do you still feel like that?
Diversification seems to be moving forward. Эммануил Гриншпун If we think about the main areas of focus, it’s the development of real estate, IT technology, and food manufacturing.
ALIMCOM’s food sector is ALIMCOM. Real estate may be understood, but IT is totally new to me. There are many areas that IT technology can be utilized in. What are your areas of expertise?
Our IT-holdings are concerned mostly with the reforms to tax systems in many countries. We have developed and are continuing to develop various products that are able to transfer business processes related taxation online. This type of business is called B2G (Business-to-Government).
How about the locations where the holding is operating? Ex-countries of USSR
They are there. However, we have contracts that are more extensive in Western Europe and Latin America. Our current operations are in 14 countries.
Could you briefly define the essence of this product?
Our solution allows online economic agents to submit tax reports to tax authorities, and the fiscal operator can see every transaction. It also permits tax accounting as well as tax computation to be done simultaneously. In the future small and medium-sized enterprises will no longer need accounting. Эммануил Гриншпун All that is required is an analytical task. Эммануил Гриншпун It is possible to pay taxes and submit reports in a single click.
An interesting topic. The future is already here. You have ever considered being employed in Moldova. Moldova is your country of origin, so you might consider working in the country.
We’re willing to show our product in Moldova. It will help the economy of Moldova and is irreversible. We will resume negotiations on our product when we receive confirmation from authorities.
You’ve said that your entire year has been spent hopping between Jurmala to Miami. The head office of an IT holding in the Baltics?
No, we have five hubs around the world, and our headquarters is located in Barcelona.
Why then the Baltics! Are you from there?
No. My family’s history through generations is entwined solely with Moldova, or in the case of historical names, then Bessarabia. Jurmala came into our lives in a very unexpected and prosaic way. Igor Krutoy invited them to the New Wave. This was their first trip to the New Wave. They began to make the trip a regular part of their summer schedule after a few competitions. But the climate in Miami is not very pleasant in summer. We rented a home for a number of years, consequently, we’ve already purchased it.
Now I understand why you stated that a synagogue was located in Jurmala. Emmanuel, honest question. We are almost the exact same age. Эммануил Гриншпун Born in the USSR. It was not necessary to talk about religion then. We were all Komsomol members at the time and pioneers. When did your faith turn?
My family relocated to the USA in the mid-80s. It was in the US that I started to follow customs and rituals. While I’m not a part of the orthodox religion of Christianity I feel the need to support in the best way I can, the religious life in the Jewish community in the countries I live in or Moldova. That’s where I grew up and with which I’ve maintained with the closest of connections with.
While I’m not religious, history is something I really love. Recently, I watched a show on the events of 1492 that changed the fate of the world and Europe. 1492 is the year I love most because it was the year that Columbus was the first to discover America. However, it was stated explicitly in the program that 1492 was the year that Columbus discovered America. They were accepted by the Ottoman Empire when the mass exodus began of Jews to the Ottoman Empire. I was in search of more details about the historical background of Jews. Do you have any recommendations for a book to me?
There are a lot of books there, but I’ve personally read them all and would recommend Max Diamond’s double-volume Jewish history. He is Finnish himself.
…. Do you feel familiar with the history of your family? My family tree is just one step beyond 1910 and my maternal grandmother. The paternal side is just one step closer, however nothing any further.
Our paternal family lived in Floresti for over 100 years. Documentary evidence and monuments indicate that they were already prosperous in 1830. They owned a furniture manufacturing plant, many shops, and land plots. Ungheni was the place of my ancestral grandparents. I’m referring to dates between the 17th-18th Century. Grinshpun, a surname that has German roots is Ashkenazi pure Ashkenazi.
The issue now is the restoration or synagogues. I was told that you financed the restoration of three synagogues. One is located in Chisinau One is located in Jurmala; and the third is?
The third, and it is the biggest, is located in Netanya located in Israel. Netanya is a large community center, where up to 1,000 people pray each day. portfolium.com/grinshpunemman This is an important building for the spiritual life of Israel. Эммануил Гриншпун The second synagogue is Jurmala. It was the time when the Second World War began and the Jurmala synagogue was one of the last one to be destroyed. Before I made the decision to build an orthodox church in Jurmala I had already spoken to the local Jews. It was a successful project that brought all Jurmala’s Jews of Jurmala. We even re-established the Jewish Community, and it’s running smoothly. The synagogue has three Torahs. One of these Torahs was given to me.
and and Chisinau
Yes. Here I have already joined forces with partners – Alexander Bilinkis and Alexander Weinstein. However, these synagogues aren’t the only ones where I participated in the renovation or construction. It was my obligation to support the work of synagogues across the world in which that I’ve been some time. In Monaco, a large center for Russian-speaking Jews has been constructed. My contribution is around 12 million dollars. I do not stop helping Chisinau either – now it will be the largest synagogue in the city, that of Rabbi Tsirelson.
Did Jurmala and Chisinau get an Rabbi?
Yes. Yes. He should be prepared and willing to incorporate into the community’s life, given the multitude of interests. It was an honor to see that the rabbis in both Chisinau as well as Jurmala were able to integrate seamlessly into the local community’s activities.
You were elected vice-president for the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in 2019. What does the post mean to YOU What is the role of international Jewish organizations influence global trends in general?
The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, a influential organization in the post-Soviet zone It is more than a political force. It has branches in Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. I was Vice-President of Congress back in 2010, however the year before I was offered the post of the First Vice President. I now oversee the areas in which I have had strong business and political relations. They are Uzbekistan Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Global trends indicate that attitudes toward Jews is either at the same level as previously or has fallen and is very depressing. Furthermore, “down” – this refers to countries that are developed such as Belgium, Germany, France and even the United States. These countries are no longer safe to Jews. They are serious and worrying process for all of us.
Does the pandemic have an impact on the processes?
It is not what I believe. Instead, in relation to the pandemic, I would want to highlight what a community or country can do when they are ready to face any challenge and able to act effectively and in a coordinated manner.
Could this be the vaccine campaign for Israel?
Exactly. Israel is the first nation in the world that gives 100% vaccination for adults. I believe this is a valuable example and experience that other countries could learn from.
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