RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA) — Efrahim Kopel Meniuk, the president of the Brazil-Israel Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Rio de Janeiro chapter, died of COVID-19 on June 22. He was 82.

Born in Brazil to Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Meniuk led the institution since early 2019. Founded in 1959, the chamber promotes commercial ties between Latin America’s largest nation and the Jewish state.

“Efrahim Meniuk was a natural-born leader who was still in the full exercise of his duties,” Arnon Velmovitsky, president of the Rio Jewish federation, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“He revolutionized the chamber,” added Velmovitsky, whose son Alex will replace Meniuk as president.

Meniuk was also a former president of Rio’s largest synagogue, the 1,000-family Associacao Religiosa Israelita, a Reform temple also known as ARI.

“His greatest legacy will be the great and genuine volunteering work he has done well for so many years of his life within our community,” ARI vice president Evelyn Freyer told JTA.

Rio is home to some 30,000 Jews, or one-fourth of the Brazilian Jewish population. Brazil has registered 1.1 million cases since the pandemic began, and the number of deaths reached 51,271 on Monday, the second-highest death toll in the world after the United States.

The post Efrahim Kopel Meniuk, 82, led Rio chapter of Brazil-Israel commerce group appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount