Why was the Second Temple destroyed?

The Talmud says: “Because of groundless enmity between Jews”. And two thousand years later, we are faced with the same situation. At the moment a scandal has developed in Ukraine in connection with the “Declaration” against Joseph Zissels, which was published in the “VEK” newspaper of July 08, 2003.

I’ve known Joseph Zissels for a long time through various VAAD activities in the former USSR. We had disagreements and disputes but none of us ever resorted to such a destructive “Declaration”. That’s why we hold each other in high respect, that’s why members of Vaad were able to create the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and Joseph Zissels, one of the most merited figures, has become the EAJC General Council Chairman.

Leader always come under hard times. He is subject to criticism, he is always in full view, and responsible for everything. If somebody opposes Joseph Zissels so harshly then the Jewish community is threatened by a dangerous split.

I wonder how well-known and highly respected people like rabbi Bleih and Arkadiy Monastyrskiy are against Joseph Zissels. I’m sure he deserves better, since he devoted all his life to the rebirth of Jewish community in the former Soviet Union. He has accomplished a great deal for the Jewish community, and can still do a lot more. I hope that the authors of the “Declaration” will calm down and make their apologies to Joseph Zissels for their incorrect – to put it mildly – statements. It is my hope that their differences can be settled through rational dialogue.

To help everything return to order, it would probably be useful to establish the EAJC rabbinical court and officially examine this problem there.

I hope that Joseph Zissels will continue his successful work as the EAJC general council chairman and the chairman of the Vaad of Ukraine.

Mikhail Oshtrakh, doctor of physical-mathematical science, EAJC General Council member, Vaad of Russia Presidium member, president of the Jewish National-Cultural Autonomy in Sverdlovsk region, Ekaterinburg, Russia.