World
World's largest Jewish centre opens in Ukraine
World’s largest Jewish centre lights up like a menorah - one block on each day of the week
October 18, 2012 09:32
By, Anna Sheinman
1 min read
World’s largest Jewish centre lights up like a menorah - one block on each day of the week
October 18, 2012 09:32By, Anna Sheinman
The world’s largest Jewish centre — with more floor space than Windsor Castle — opened this week in the unlikely location of Dnepropetrovsk in south-east Ukraine.
The chief rabbis of Ukraine, Russia and 400 other guests were present as the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Shlomo Amar, placed the mezuzah on the door of the 540,000 sq ft Menorah Centre.
Also present was the Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk, Shmuel Kaminetzky. “It was a very emotional day for me,” he said. “In 1941, on Simchat Torah, 11,000 Jews were massacred by the Nazis in Dnepropetrovsk. To be able to open just after Simchat Torah in the memory of those that died was very important.
“This is about remembering the past, but also taking care of our huge community for the future.” To that end, the development was designed to be self-sustaining, paying for itself indefinitely.
