The fragile ceasefire between the Ukrainian government and thepro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine is holding, but it is unclear if itwill last. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to be gripped by severe economic andhumanitarian crises.
This week, to meet IMF conditions for more bailout funds, Ukraine's parliamentapproved an extensive package of reforms affecting pensions, the budget, theenergy sector, and other areas.

The update includes a number of articles on the murder of Boris Nemtsov lastweek in Moscow, and the implications of his death for the fractured Russianopposition. I want to highlight an opinion piece by Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidtin the Tablet magazine, which discusses Nemtsov's Jewish identity, and thestruggle of many Russians of Jewish descent to openly express their Jewishnessin Soviet times and still today in modern Russia.

On Sunday, I spoke at the AIPAC's annual Policy Conference, on a panel withAmerican Foreign Policy Council Vice President Ilan Berman, discussing Russia'sparadoxical approach to the Middle East. We discussed Russia's cultural tiesand areas of close cooperation with Israel, Russia's broader Middle Eastpolicy, relations with Iran and other critical developments in the region. Thisimportant and timely debate generated a great deal of interest among theconference participants, and attendance at the discussion was high.