Menorah Center, Dnipro

The idea to create the Menorah Center, as one of the biggest such centers in the world, was proposed by Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky and funded by the President of the Dnipropetrovsk Jewish community Gennadiy Bogolyubov and the President of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine (also the founder of European Jewish Union) Ihor Kolomoyskyi. They both provided full financial support for the project implementation. The supposed concept of the Menorah Center construction is to combine three functional elements (spirituality, culture and business) in one complex building. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was born in Nikolayev, Ukraine, but raised in Dnipro (then known as Yekatrinoslav) where his father served as chief rabbi until his 1939 arrest by Soviet authorities. == Dedication ==

The dedication ceremony of the Menorah Center took place on October 16, 2012, with guests that included Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Yaakov Bleich, Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Amar, Israel Minister of Information and Diaspora Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, representatives of Jewish institutions (including Hillel, the Jewish Agency, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee), Ukrainian state and local authorities, and diplomatic corps. == General description ==

The center is built in the shape of a seven-branched synagogue candelabrum (menorah). It consists of seven marble The construction has a total floor area of about 50,000 sq.m. There are a synagogue, museums, office premises, shopping spaces, publishing house, art galleries, kosher restaurants and cafes, conference halls, banquet halls, a luxury hotel, youth hostel, classrooms, tourist information center, and visa center of Israel. The general project design was made by architect Alexander Sorin. Signs and labels in Menorah are written in four languages - English, Ukrainian, Russian and Hebrew. The official address of the center is Sholom-Aleikhema St., 4/26, Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, 49000, Ukraine. One of the center's declared priorities is to use business profits for funding charitable projects. The presumed purpose is to serve Jewish community of about 30,000 in Dnipro and its other population disregarding background. == Opinions about the Menorah Center ==

• Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky — chief Rabbi of Dnipropetrovsk region: • Chaim Chesler — founder of Limmud in the former Soviet Union: • Beth Moskowitz — representative of Boston's Jewish Community Relation Council: == Activities ==

The business forum “Ukraine is a country of entrepreneurs” for young business people was hosted by the Menorah Center on November 24, 2016. More than 400 representatives of small and medium-size enterprises took part in that forum. The Ukrainian Association of Patriots (UKROP Party) held there its conference and a general meeting of supporters from all over Ukraine in November, 2016. Some Ukrainian Jewish refugees from armed conflict zone in Donetsk and Luhansk regions have used the Menorah Center facilities for resettlement and rehabilitation. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Menorah Center has become a center for humanitarian aid to refugees who have fled the various battle zones. It was also said to have been sheltering its patron, Ihor Kolomoyskyi. == Infrastructure ==

Synagogue • Golden Rose central synagogue. Museums • Museum "Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine". It is the largest Jewish complex in the former Soviet Union. • "7 Days City Hotel" - 16 rooms in minimalistic style. Conference Halls • "Sinai Hall". • "Menorah Grand Hall". • "Menorah Ballroom" . • "Menorah Royal Club". • "Conference Hall Small". • "Pchelkine House". • "Troitskaya Street Conference Hall". Banquet Halls • "Menorah Grand Hall". • "Menorah Ballroom". • "Menorah Grand Terrace". • "Pchelkine House". • "Menorah Cafe". Art Gallery • Gallery of modern and traditional art. == Image gallery ==

File:Галерея центра «Менора» (вход с пл. Успенской).jpg|Gallery of "Menorah Center" (entrance from Uspenskaya square). File:Рецепция отеля «Менора» в центре «Менора».jpg|Reception of "Menorah Hotel". File:Вид со смотровой центра «Менора».jpg|View from observation site of "Menorah Center". File:3Д макет центра «Менора».jpg|"Menorah Center" 3D model. File:Дом Пчелкина.jpg|"Pchelkine House". ==References==