President of World Jewish Congress receives Andrey Sheptytskyy Award
On May 5-7, 2019, the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine holds the Kyiv Jewish Forum – a high-profile international event in the course of which the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, conferred the Award of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky on Ronald Lauder, the President of the World Jewish Congress. This is reported by the Department of Information of the UGCC.
The award, jointly given by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine and the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter (UJE) was a recognition of Ronald Lauder's efforts to support the Jewish community of Ukraine and promote Ukrainian-Jewish cooperation.
“In the world where everything is changing and nothing is stable, the modern man is looking for a point of support, that is, something that does not change and is eternal. Often we say it refers to certain values, respect for a person, human life and dignity, regardless of their national, ethnic, religious origin and affiliation. Therefore, it is so important to have individuals, people who are the bearers of those values. My predecessor – the righteous Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky was such kind of a person. It is important that we now see that there are people who carry the same values. I am extremely pleased that the award in the name of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky is given to the respected Ronald Lauder, a benefactor, a public figure and the president of the World Jewish Congress,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The renowned Jewish leaders and business partners, politicians and media gathered in Kyiv to communicate and discuss the future of Ukrainian and international Jewry in a friendly format of the conference. The interactive panel sessions are attended by top-level speakers from the governments of Ukraine, Israel, the United States, Canada and Europe. The discussion will focus on the topics of the new Ukrainian leadership (according to the results of the presidential elections), countering anti-Semitism, strengthening of peace and security, paying tribute to the memory, issues of Ukrainian-Israeli relations and Jewish life.
As reported, the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter (UJE) has made great efforts for the worldwide recognition of the legacy of the legendary leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. One of the important achievements in this activity is the launch of Andrey Sheptytsky’s Medal by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine. This award is given for contributing to the Ukrainian-Jewish mutual understanding and cooperation for persons whose life was dedicated to the promotion of the strengthening of friendly relations between the Ukrainian and Jewish peoples.
Background
The All-Ukrainian association of public organizations Jewish Confederation of Ukraine was founded in 1999. The Confederation brings together independent social, charitable, religious Jewish organizations, “Our mission is to unite the Jews of Ukraine, to help the Jewish communities of the country, to support the State of Israel, to preserve Jewish history, culture, memory of the Holocaust, and to strengthen the understanding of the involvement of the Jewish community in the development of Ukraine. We stand for the fight against anti-Semitism and motivate international support for Ukraine's independence.”
