(Communicated by Foreign Minister's Bureau)
A MFA delegation headed by Pinchas Avivi, Deputy Director-General and head of the Division for Central Europe and Eurasia, visited the Ukraine this week. The delegation participated in consultations regarding the promotion of understandings reached during the visit of Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko to Israel last November, concerning the battle against Anti-Semitism, Holocaust remembrance and preservation of Jewish heritage in the Ukraine.
The delegation also visited the city of Uman to examine the authority's handling of the gravesite of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslev. It was agreed by Deputy D-G Avivi, the Ukrainian President's advisor, and the mayor of Uman, that free access for pilgrims to the gravesite would be preserved, and that it would be recognized as a holy Jewish site. The Ukrainians reported their intention to determine in law that the site forms part of the Jewish national history of the Ukraine, therefore defending it against all possible legal claims.
The members of the Israeli delegation held a prayer service at the site for the release and safety of all the abducted and missing soldiers. Rabbis and the entire congregation present at the time participated in the service.
In addition, the Ukrainian team reported that the Odessa municipality had been asked to commemorate the life of Ze'ev Jabotinsky, a native of the city.