Adding to the list of foreign dignitaries who have toured the construction site of what is slated to be the largest Jewish community center in the world, German Consul General Klaus Zillikens made a point of networking with Jewish representatives during his official visit to Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.
Zillikens, who runs the consulate in Donetsk, some 250 kilometers away, held several meetings with government officials and other diplomats before embarking on his visit to the city’s historic Golden Rose Synagogue and its affiliated institutions. Elena Karol, second secretary of the Israeli Embassy and director of the Israeli Cultural Center in Dnepropetrovsk, facilitated the tour.
The highlight of the walkthrough came when Zillikens donned a hard hat and inspected the ongoing construction of the Menorah Jewish Center with construction manager Gennady Axelrod. Funded in large part by philanthropist Gennady Bogolubov, the center will serve as the headquarters of Chabad-Lubavitch activities in the region and will house a museum, synagogue, classrooms and offices.
Zillikens then briefed Jewish community officials on his earlier exchange with Regional Gov. Vilkul and Mayor Ivan Kulichenko, stressing the importance of increasing cultural and business ties between Ukraine and Germany.
The Jewish community of Dnepropetrovsk is a member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.
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