Ukraine Jewish Leader Dies in Possible Suicide
Vadim Vishnevsky, a prominent member of the Jewish community of Kharkiv in Ukraine, died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Vishnevsky was rushed to hospital on Nov. 20 from his office, the Ukrainian Vesti newspaper reported. Police are investigating the shooting, which according to some accounts may have been self-inflicted, Vesti reported. An unnamed source told the Interfax news agency that Vishnevsky left what appeared to be a suicide note.
Vishnevsky was vice president of the Jewish Foundation of Ukraine and head of the Council of Regions of the Jewish Community of Ukraine. He also was one of the largest shareholders of Kharkiv Golden Gate Bank.
He is survived by a wife and three children, according to a report on the Ukrainian Jewish news website evreiskiy.kiev.ua.
Vishnevsky was among the initiators of a monument in memory of approximately 15,000 Jews whom the Nazis murdered at the Drobytsky Yar killing site near Kharkiv. He also sponsored renovation work at a historic Kharkiv synagogue, and social projects within the Jewish community and for the general population.
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