Menorah center (Dnipro)

"Menorah center" general view, Golden Rose synagogue

The Menorah center (Ukrainian: Центр "Менора", Russian: Центр "Менора") is a cultural and business center of Jewish community in the city of Dnipro (former Dnipropetrovsk) in Eastern Ukraine. Some sources declare it to be the biggest multifunctional Jewish community center in Europe[1] or in the world.[2] Heart of the complex is historic Golden Rose central synagogue, built in the 19-th century.

The dedication ceremony of Menorah center took place on October 16, 2012 with such guests, as the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Amar, Israel Minister of Information and Diaspora Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, representatives of Jewish institutions (including Hillel, the Jewish Agency, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee etc.), Ukrainian state and local authorities, diplomatic corps.

Idea

The idea to create Menorah center, as one of the biggest such centers in the world, belongs to the President of the Dnipropetrovsk Jewish community Gennadiy Bogolyubov Europe[3] and the President of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine (also the founder of European Jewish Union) Ihor Kolomoyskyi. They both provided full financial support for the project implementation. The supposed concept of the Menorah center construction is to combine three functional elements (spirituality, culture and business) in one complex building.

General description

The center is built in the shape of a seven-branched synagogue candelabrum (menorah). It consists of seven made of precious marble[2] towers, highest one of which is 20 stories (77 m.) tall.[4] The construction has total floor area of about 50,000 sq.m. There are synagogue, museums, office premises, shoping spaces, publishing house, art galleries, kosher restaurants and cafes, conference halls, banquet halls, a luxury hotel, youth hostel, classrooms, tourist information center, visa center of Israel. General project design was made by architect Alexander Sorin.

Signs and labels in Menorah are written in four languages - English, Ukrainian, Russian and Hebrew. The official address of the center is Sholom-Aleikhema St., 4/26, Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, 49000, Ukraine.

One of the center's declared priorities is to use business profits for funding charitable projects.[5] The presumed purpose is to serve Jewish community of about 35,000 in the city of Dnipro and its other population disregarding background.[2]

Opinions about the Menorah center

The idea here is also to build a presence, a great beacon of light that tells the Jews of Ukraine: ‘We are here. Come join us. The time for hiding is over.[1]
During my lifetime I have visited hundreds of Jewish sites throughout the world, but I have never seen such an extraordinary complex of buildings and I doubt if I will ever do so again.[4]
We all thought that there would be no Jews here today in 2012. And to see the amount of Jews that actually take part in the Menorah center and in the synagogue, in the Golden Rose synagogue, the activities here—it’s hard to believe. I actually think this is the center for Jewish community and the center for thriving and there has been an incredible revival.[6]

Recent activities

Business forum “Ukraine is a country of entrepreneurs” for young business people was hosted by the Menora center on November 24, 2016. More than 400 representatives of small and medium-size enterprises took part in that forum.

The Ukrainian Association of Patriots (UKROP Party) held there its conference and a general meeting of supporters from all over Ukraine in November, 2016.

Some Ukrainian Jew refugees from armed conflict zone in Donetsk and Luhansk regions use the Menorah center facilities for resettlement and rehabilitation.[7]

Infrastructure

Synagogue

Museums

It is the largest in the former Soviet Union.[4] It covers 3,000 sq.m. and use up-to-date technologies (multimedia installations, video and audio records broadcasts, hologram images). The museum has the information center, libraries, classrooms.

Research and Education Center

Hotels

It is the only one in the CIS, which gives an opportunity to all observing shabbat.

Conference Halls

Banquet Halls

Art Gallery

Image Gallery

External links

References

  1. 1 2 Cnaan Liphshiz (2014-10-01). ""Giant Ukraine JCC provides shelter from the storm — in style"". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  2. 1 2 3 Ian Shulman (2013-01-15). ""World's biggest Jewish community center opens in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine"". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  3. ↑ ""The Menorah Center"". Bogolyubov Foundation. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  4. 1 2 3 Chaim Chesler (2012-10-22). ""The Menorah Center: Largest Jewish complex in world"". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  5. ↑ Tamar Runyan (2012-10-17). ""World's Largest Jewish Center Opens in Dnepropetrovsk"". Chabad.org. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  6. ↑ ""Dnipropetrovsk - Ukraine Unveils Large Jewish Center, Holocaust Museum (photos)"". VosIzNeias news. 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  7. ↑ Misha Friedman (2015-02-21). ""The Ukrainian city that's become a haven for Jews fleeing another European war"". Quartz. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  8. ↑ ""Ukraine unveils large Jewish center, Holocaust museum"". Kyiv Post. 2012-10-01. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
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