Chief Rabbi of Russia HaRav Berel Lazar Shlita recently visited Iran as part of an official delegation sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a visit which was kept secret until recent days.

According to Ynet, the rabbi was part of the entourage from Russia’s lower house (Duma), for a 24-hour visit to hold talks in the Iranian parliament in Tehran. The decision to bring Rabbi Lazar to the delegation was approved by Russian President Putin, with Lazar has a close personal relationship.

It is reported that the Iranians initially objected to the inclusion of the rabbi, but the Russians insisted and conditioned the visit by the rabbi joining the delegation.

The exact purpose of the delegation has not been released, but reports indicate it may have been linked to Israel’s attempts to thwart Iran’s military entrenchment in Syria.

The visit, which took place on April 9th, immediately after Pesach, was only revealed now. Rabbi Lazar traveled with one of his aides, and the two of them made sure to bring kosher food for the flight and the time spent in the country.

During his trip, Rabbi Lazar managed a rare visit to the institutions of the Jewish community in Tehran. He visited the central synagogue and a Jewish school. In the classrooms are pictures of Ayatollah Khomeini and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei alongside pesukim from Tanach in Hebrew.

About 10,000 Jews live in Iran at present, the third-largest concentration of Jews in the Middle East after Israel and Turkey.

It is reported that during his visit, the rabbi dealt exclusively with helping the Jewish community maintain a kosher Jewish way of life. He met with the heads of the Jewish community in the city, heard about the difficulties and watched Jewish children arriving early in the morning to Jewish community institutions and receiving breakfast before school due to the country’s severe poverty.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)