Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky vowed on Monday to get to the bottom of an alleged corruption saga that has reportedly been holding up the construction of a synagogue in the city of Uman for over a decade.
Zelensky’s remarks came during a meeting with Duvi Honig, founder and CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce (OJCC), shortly before the president held his first-ever meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials.
The saga began more than 10 years ago, when Israeli businessman Yisrael Elhadad acquired a large parcel of land in Uman, near the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, founder of the Breslov Chassidic movement.
He planned to build a massive Jewish center on the site, with a large synagogue and a mikvah. The need was great, he felt, as there was currently no large synagogue in the city, even though tens of thousands of Jews travel to the city every year on Rosh Hashanah to visit Rabbi Nachman’s grave.
The Uman City Council approved the plans, according to Elhadad, but then the Town Council then refused to allow the project to proceed, allegedly demanding a $350,000 bribe. When Elhadad refused, the council rezoned the property as a public park and began doing site work, preventing the construction of the synagogue.
Elhadad and several Jewish community leaders from Ukraine then turned to OJCC. Last Thursday, OJCC CEO Honig led a delegation to Uman to get a firsthand view of the situation at the site.
Subsequently, Honig held a press conference in Kiev at the Interfax News Agency headquarters, which was attended by dozens of news agencies and followed closely by aides to President Zelensky.
Honig pleaded with the president, who is Jewish, to keep his promise to enable to rise of “Little Jerusalem” in Uman.
On Monday, ahead of his meeting with Netanyahu, President Zelensky met with Honig to discuss the crisis. Zelensky said he viewed the issue seriously, and promised to restore the site to its rightful owner.
The president said he would dispatch a delegation of top aides to Uman to talk to local officials, and would share developments with members of the Israeli delegation.
“I would like to thank President Zelensky for his swift action and determination to fight corruption and help the Jewish community; and we look forward to a quick resolution of this matter,” said Honig.
“It is an honor that the OJCC has once again served as a vehicle to fight on behalf of Jewish community business and communal interests and forge mutually beneficial relationships, around the world,” he concluded.