The topic of the conversation with Emmanuil Grinshpun is the revival of synagogues. It was however impossible to keep the conversation focused on a single topic. There are many questions to be discussed in the interview at the very least.

Emmanuel, good afternoon. It was a pleasure to have you meet. I think we haven’t seen each other for more than five years. What part of the globe are you located now?

The last nine months have been divided into Miami and Jurmala. The geography was far larger before, but the pandemic impacted the way of life. I’m sorry to say it has been for the more severe.

You’ve always had multiple business lines. You do now?

Diversification has not gone away. If we talk about the most important areas, then this is development in the areas of real estate, IT technology and food production.

ALIMCOM is an expert in the field of food and real estate is much more easily understood. IT, however, is totally new to me. There are millions of potential areas for applying IT technology. What IT-related field is your passion?

Our IT-holding is occupied with tax reforms, but first, with tax system reforms across a variety of countries. We have developed and are working on a variety of tools that allow you to transfer a number of business processes related to taxation online as well as in „real time“. This segment is known as B2G (Business-to-Government).

But what happens to the region in which the holding is based? The former countries from the USSR?

There are contracts in place. We do however have contracts that are more extensive in Western Europe as well as Latin America. There are currently activities in 14 countries.

Please briefly describe the concept and the reason behind the product.

Our software lets economic agents online report to tax authorities and the fiscal administrator is able to view every transaction. It also permits tax accounting and tax computation to be performed simultaneously. Thus, in the future, small- and medium-sized enterprises won’t require accounting except for its purpose of analysis. Tax payments and the sending of reports are done with just one „click“.

Interesting topic. The future is here. You have ever considered being employed in Moldova. Moldova is your birth country isn’t it?

We are prepared to launch this product in Moldova. It is our belief that the Moldovan economy will gain from the automation. And in any case it is an irreversible change. Эммануил Гриншпун We will resume negotiations on our product after we get confirmation from authorities.

You mentioned that you’d been tossing and turning between Miami and Jurmala throughout the year. Where is the headquarters of an IT holding in Baltics?

No, there are five hubs all over the world and our headquarters is located in Barcelona.

Эммануил Гриншпун Then why you should be thinking of the Baltics? Do you have roots there?

No. There is no. Jurmala entered our lives in an unexpected and prosaic way. It was Igor Krutoy who invited us to New Wave for the first time. After a series of contests, they started to visit each summer. In Miami the weather in summer isn’t the best. We rented for several years and now have it now.

Now I understand why I was informed by my friends that one of the rebuilt synagogues is located in Jurmala. Emmanuel, honest question. We’re almost the same age. We were born in the USSR. It was not necessary to talk about religion back then. We were all Komsomol members in the early days and pioneers. What was the first time you came in contact with religion?

My family and I moved to the USA in the mid-80s. We can all say that that was when I first began to respect traditions. Although I do not adhere to the orthodox doctrine, I feel a deep need to support the religion of the Jewish communities in my own country, or Moldova. I was born in Moldova and have continued close ties to them.

Although I’m not religion-based, the subject of history is one I really enjoy. Recently, I watched a program that focused on events in 1492 that changed the fate of Europe. For me, 1492 is the year Columbus was the first to discover America. The program I was watching clearly stated that the discovery America in 1492 was not as important as the Spanish monarchs’ expulsion of Jews from Spain. The departure of Jews began to the Ottoman Empire, it accepted them. Here, I was looking for details about the historical background of Jews as a whole. Would you recommend a book me?

There are a lot of books. But, I’ve read several of them myself and highly recommend Max Diamond (a two-volume Jewish historian). And, by the way, he is from Finland.

…. Do we have a family tree of our own? Unfortunately, I have only my grandmother and 1910. Paternal side: A step above however, not enough.

Our family has been in Floresti for a long time from the paternal side. Monuments and documents show that the Floresti family was already prospering in 1830. They had many shops, a furniture manufacturing factory and land plots. My maternal ancestors also lived in Ungheni. This is the region of the 17th-18th-century. Grinshpun is a surname with German roots. We are Ashkenazis originating from Eastern Europe.

Now here is the question regarding the restoration of synagogues. I heard that you financed the reconstruction of three synagogues. One is located in Chisinau and the other is located in Jurmala and the third?

The third and the largest, is in Netanya (Israel). It is a huge community center, where a thousand worshippers gather each day. Эммануил Гриншпун It is an important milestone in Israel’s religious history. The second synagogue is Jurmala. The only synagogue in Jurmala was destroyed at the start of the Second World War. Эммануил Гриншпун Before building a synagogue, I met with local Jews. As a result I decided that I would build the building and invite a rabbi on the site. It was a successful project that brought together the Jews of Jurmala. In reality, we’ve created an existing Jewish community that is now working well. Three Torahs are currently in the synagogue. I gave one Torah to the synagogue.

and Chisinau

Yes. Here , I’ve joined forces with partners who are Alexander Bilinkis and Alexander Weinstein. These three synagogues were not the only ones where I participated in restoration and building. In all the countries in which I have been for a long period I believed it was my duty to make a feasible contribution to the maintenance of synagogues. My contribution is currently in Monaco in which a massive community center that caters to Russian-speaking Jews is being built. It is believed that it will cost approximately 12 million dollars. Chisinau remains my favourite city. The synagogue of Rabbi Tsirelson is expected to be the biggest.

Did Jurmala take you to Chisinau with a Rabbi?

Yes. Yes. Эммануил Гриншпун He should be able and willing to integrate into the life of the community, due to the many interests. And I am pleased that both in Chisinau and in Jurmala, the rabbis were able to integrate so harmoniously into the daily life of the community.

You were elected vice-president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in 2019. What does this role mean to you? How will international Jewish organisations influence global trends?

Эммануил Гриншпун The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, a strong organization in the post-Soviet zone, is not only a political force. Эммануил Гриншпун It has offices across Australia, Japan Hong Kong, New Zealand, New Zealand and Eastern Europe. I served as Vice-President of Congress back in 2010, but the year before I was offered the role as First Vice President. The post is now my responsibility for the region in which I have strong political and economic ties. These include Uzbekistan Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan. As for trends in the world and the world at large, the barometer of attitude toward Jews or Jews is in the same place or, which is very regrettable, has swung down. Additionally, „down“, refers not just to countries with developed economies like the United States, France, Germany and France as well as other countries like Belgium as well as Germany. These countries are no longer safe for Jews. These are very important and frightening processes for all of us.

Does the pandemic affect these processes somehow?

This isn’t my opinion. To be more specific, I would rather highlight the potential of a society or nation when they are ready to take on any challenge and are able to effectively and with respect to the pandemic.

Are you talking about the vaccination program in Israel?

Exactly. Israel is the first country to offer 100 percent vaccination to its entire adult population. I consider this to be a a worthy example and the kind of experience that other countries need to consider taking into consideration.

Congress for the Ewish