Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Yakov D. Bleich, 46
#10 Most Influential

The unofficial chief rabbi of Ukraine and Kyiv, Yakov Dov Bleich, arrived in the nation from his native New York as a tourist in 1988.


UNIAN

At the time, he was not aware that there was even a Ukrainian language, despite the fact that his ancestors came to the United States from Chernihiv and Ternopil oblasts.

In 1990, he moved to Ukraine with his new wife to work as a rabbi, and recalls that back then, “you had to go to Moscow to buy diapers.”

Since then, the Bleich family has grown to include six children.

Bleich has been widely recognized as chief rabbi in Ukraine since 1991, but has had to counter claims to the title from rival contenders.

Still, few would doubt that Bleich is one of the most influential members of Ukraine’s Jewish community, which includes dozens of affluent businessmen.

"[Ukraine’s unpopular oligarchs] effectively used the possibilities that were given to each person who lived in Ukraine at that time.”

- Yakov Dov Bleich.

Bleich has occasionally aroused controversy through his support for Ukraine’s unpopular oligarchs, saying that they earned money “because their minds work right,” and “they effectively used the possibilities that were given to each person who lived in Ukraine at that time.”

He has criticized aspects of former President Viktor Yushchenko’s view of Ukrainian history. At the same time, he has played down polls that suggest increasing anti-Semitism in Ukraine.

According to Bleich, there are 300,000 to 500,000 Jewish people in Ukraine, with 80,000 to 100,000 in Kyiv alone. Five Jewish schools ensure that Jewish children grow up aware and proud of their identity.

As chairman of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, Bleich is connected to industrial and financial magnates. Two of them, Eduard Shifrin and Hryhory Surkis, are also involved in running the confederation.

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