Moshe Arbel
Moshe ArbelNoam Revkin Fenton/Flash90

Ahead of the upcoming Jewish High Holidays, Ukraine Ambassador to Israel Dr. Yevgeny Kornichuk met with MK Moshe Arbel (Shas) in his Knesset office.

During the meeting, the two discussed Ukraine's commitment to preserving the Jewish cemeteries and heritage sites, as well as various other topics on the issue of strengthening the bond between the countries.

In addition, Arbel expressed great concern over "the current government's policies and behavior towards tens of thousands of believing Jews, while ignoring the right to freedom of religion and the historical engagement between the two countries."

The Ambassador noted that Ukraine sees very great importance in continuing to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries, and especially in the pilgrimage made by many hasidim, who flock to the gravesite of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in Uman, Ukraine.

This pilgrimage, traditionally made over the holiday of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), has a great influence on Ukraine's tourism, economy, and the history between the two nations, the Ambassador added.

He also praised highly former Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas), who worked tirelessly for these issues and positioned all of the professionals from all the government's offices to "integrate" the many tasks.

During the meeting, the Ambassador said that he is scheduled to meet Thursday with Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana (Yamina), to discuss the issue with him, as well as to present to him the challenges and Ukrainian government's preferred plan.

It was also agreed that parallel to this, Arbel will send a written inquiry on the issue to the Health Minister and the Religious Affairs Minister.