5 September, Grodno /Elena Stasyukevich - BELTA/. A Jewish Cultural and Historical Centre named after Chofetz Chaim is being established in the Voronovsky district. This was announced to journalists today during a meeting between the leadership of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee and the Minister of Tourism of Israel, Stas Misenzhnikov, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Israel to Belarus, Yosef Shagal, as reported by a BELTA correspondent. The idea of creating a centre dedicated to the heritage of the rabbi near the village of Radun in the Voronovsky district began to be actively discussed in 2010, following a meeting between the regional leadership and representatives of the Israeli company "Morehset Chofetz Chaim". Following negotiations, a protocol of intent was signed in June of the current year, outlining a step-by-step implementation schedule for the investment project. Currently, Israel's interests are represented by the consulting company "Arzinger & Partners" LLC. The Israeli side will register a legal entity within the Voronovsky district and prepare an investment agreement, marking the commencement of the project's implementation. The Grodno Regional Executive Committee is interested in the project's realisation and is prepared to allocate a land plot adjacent to the cemetery where Chofetz Chaim is buried, as well as to provide all possible assistance to the investor. Radun has the potential to become a popular destination for nostalgic tourism. The village of Radun in the Voronovsky district is referred to as the Jewish "Mecca" in Belarus, as it is home to the yeshiva of Chofetz Chaim, the spiritual leader of Poland and Russia in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The house where the renowned Jewish philosopher and preacher lived has not survived; it was dismantled and transported to the USA. However, the synagogue, where the preacher spent most of his life, has been converted into a House of Culture. Within the framework of the investment project, it is planned to restore this monument specifically as one of the sacred sites for Jews. -0-

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