The official opening ceremony was attended by the Vice Governor of St. Petersburg Olga Kazanskaya, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Vyacheslav Makarov, Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Zeev Elkin, the Consul General of Israel in St. Petersburg Michael Lotem.
The official opening ceremony was attended by the Vice Governor of St. Petersburg Olga Kazanskaya, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Vyacheslav Makarov, Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Zeev Elkin, the Consul General of Israel in St. Petersburg Michael Lotem.
Consul General of Israel in St. Petersburg Michael Lotem in his welcoming speech thanked the leadership of St. Petersburg, colleagues from Israel and all those involved in the opening of the new Consulate General office. He noted that in the modern world different languages are no longer barriers to the initiation of cooperation, but they brought society to a new level – the level of communication in the language of the professionals. "I am sure that our team will bring delicious and ripe fruits, that Israel is so famous for", concluded the Consul General.
According to the Vice Governor of St. Petersburg Olga Kazanskaya, 2016 is the year of the 25th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Russia and Israel and it has become a real breakthrough in strengthening international cooperation. "In collaboration with the Consulate of Israel we have managed to implement a number of academic programs in the sphere of health, culture and education. And the continuation of our cooperation will give impetus to further development of bilateral relations", stressed O.A. Kazanskaya.
As Zeev Elkin (Minister for Jerusalem Affairs) told, he has long-time relationship with St. Petersburg: a few years ago, he worked as a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Philosophy in St. Petersburg University. And today, speaking at the opening of the consulate, he wished the consular office to have as much work as possible, promising to support the co-projects.
In addition to the secular official greetings, the opening was followed by a traditional Jewish ceremony, placing a mezuzah on the door of the Consulate. Chief Rabbi of the Grand Choral Synagogue of St. Petersburg Menachem Mendel Pewzner fastened a symbol of the Jewish home on the door frame of the Consulate – a small case containing a scroll with two passages of the Torah – and read the blessing prayer, officially opening the way for the consular team.
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Despite the fact that the consulate works in St. Petersburg not for the first year, it had only a temporary address. Due to the move to the permanent address (Khersonskaya St. 12-14) there is a possibility to open a department for work with citizens. Almost 700 people contacted this department during 6 months. The most frequently asked questions are related to registration and renewal of documents, registration of marriages and births, confirmations of Jewish descent, a delay from the military service. Consular section telephone number: 406-05-17.
Additional information for the media: (812) 406-05-05, +7 (921) 331-38-27 – Ekaterina Somova, Press Secretary of the Consulate General of Israel in St. Petersburg