The Delegation of the Eurasian Jewish Congress (EAJC) leadership, led by President Julius Meinl took part in the solemn ceremony devoted to the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazism, which was held in the Israeli city of Netanya at the memorial to the soldiers of the Red Army.

The ceremony was organized by the Russian Jewish Congress. The EAJC together with the President was represented by EAJC General Secretary Mikhail Chlenov and EAJC CEO Haim Ben Yaakov.

Among the honored guests were: the Mayor of Netanya Miriam Fayerberg, Russia's ambassador to Israel Sergey Yakovlev, deputy of the Russia's State Duma, the head of the Club of Heroes of the Soviet Union Colonel-General Nikolai Antoshkin, deputies of the Israeli Knesset, public and religious figures.

In his speech at the ceremony Julius Meinl stated the outstanding role of the Soviet Union soldiers during the Second World War: "The role of the Red Army in stopping the Nazi advance and eventually pushing back the Nazi forces until their defeat was one of history’s most important military victories. We dare not imagine the fate of Europe or Asia without that victory. It is hard to determine how many Jewish lives were saved by the allied forces."

Speaking about the scale of the destruction of European Jewry, Julius Meinl quoted from the Talmud: "Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world." He continued: "The Nazi forces destroyed a world of Jewish life, whole families, entire communities, centuries of tradition and learning. By contrast the actions of the Red Army and the western allies provided us with the opportunity to rebuild our world. Each survivor became a world unto themselves, they rebuilt families, they helped build the State of Israel and they made an invaluable contribution to humanity."

In conclusion, the EAJC President reminded the growing of anti-Semitism in Europe and tendentious criticism of the Jewish state. He emphasized that only international solidarity can confront this threatening phenomenon: "As we stand here today we cannot settle for remembering. That is the first step, we must remember, we must educate future generations and as more voices challenge the events of history we must be prepared to counter them in every sphere. But remembering must be followed by action. Action against racism, against hatred, against violence. And in that we look again to our friends and ask that we all stand together because that is our true victory and our salute to their sacrifice."