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World Jewish News
Ukrainian Builders: Israelis Owe $100.000 for Tomb
17.05.2009
The Chabad movement has no money for the completion of a new complex at the tomb of its founder. The works have been stopped, as 100,000 dollars have not paid to the builders, who threaten to take the building away through court. To complete the work, 1 million USD is needed.
In the small Ukrainian town of Gadyach (Poltava Oblast), the works on construction of a synagogue and community center near the tomb of the Alter Rebbe - Rabbi Shneur Zalman from Lyady, the founder of the Chabad Hasidic movement, have been stopped. Before his death, during Napoleon's invasion, the famous man of wisdom bequeathed to bury him in this place. Above the grave of a righteous man there is a small crypt. Hassidim, the pilgrims who came here, felt the tightness and discomfort, especially during the mass meetings on holidays. Therefore, a few years ago it was decided to erect a spacious building near the tomb of "Alter Rebbe."
Since the year 2008, construction at the site has been conducted by Odessa firm "Vodolik" (Director - Gennady (Avi) Weintrub, whose relatives live in Israel). The representative of "Vodolik" Victor Fedorenko, responsible for the construction, told the IzRus portal that works had been begun at the initiative and at the expense of the descendants of "Alter Rebbe" - Israeli rabbis Yaakov Galperin and Mendel Daych. During the first phase of construction "among the sponsors was Igor Kolomoysky and a dozen others." Legally, the employer was the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU) under the leadership of Rabbi Meir Stambler.
Fedorenko told that from the very beginning, the builders faced with many problems: the need to reconcile the "Hassidic" requirements for buildings with Ukrainian standards, severe environmental conditions at the site (a high level of groundwater and a landslide), the lack of a sufficient number of skilled workers, the need to deliver large quantities of building materials and designs from all over Ukraine and abroad to Gadyach.
Next to the ancient crypt, the major parts of a modern complex were erected: a spacious synagogue for 200 people and a mikva (without decoration work so far). The project also provides for classes, a dining room, a comfortable hotel for over 100 Hassidim, a parking lot for vehicles. At the moment, about 30% of the work has been completed. But recently, the construction was stopped because of the customer's debt in the amount of almost 100,000 dollars.
Victor Fedorenko told the IzRus portal: "The Ukrainian legislation has a precedent when such sites were not paid for, and as a result became the property of the contractor. So it happened in Uman (in the end, a billionaire from Kazakhstan, the President of Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Alexander Mashkevich came to the rescue of the local Hassidim).
Victor Fedorenko underlined that he had no claim to Meir Stambler personally: "From September to December 2008, Stambler was helping us with his own money for urgent work in the winter, as Galperin did not give authorization for payment." All of the claims relate solely to the Israeli rabbi Galperin. "To say that we are unhappy is to say nothing," Fedorenko said. By the way, Yaakov Galperin is not just a spiritual leader, he is a member of Jerusalem city council (from the list of Yahadut ha-Torah), a member of several municipal committees (finance, infrastructure, urban planning, sports, and so on).
In his turn, the customer Meir Stambler gave the following comment to the IzRus portal: "Everything is moving, although there are difficulties, we need additional funding. Of course, there is an economic crisis, but we have no quarrels or discord."
Shimon Briman
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