In keeping with his custom, Russian President Vladimir Putin on erev Pesach sent a letter to the Jewish community to extend his best wishes for the upcoming holiday. In his letter before Pesach, the Russian leader mentioned the importance of maintaining one’s tradition, commending the significant contribution made to Russia by the entire Jewish community.
Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar Shlita met with the president before yomtov in the Kremlin. The president began the meeting by inquiring as to the status of the Jewish community in Russia and Crimea ahead of Pesach. Mr. Putin then thanked the rav and the Jewish community, telling him “I want to thank you for all you do towards strengthening the peace among religions in Russia. Our work here is important for all citizens in the country…”
Rav Lazar responded “We would like to thank you for in your merit the Jews today are comfortable and enjoy freedom of religion at the highest level. Tonight we will sit around the Seder table, the Pesach Seder, thousands of Jews proud of their Judaism and happy to go to shuls and Jewish communities.”
The president inquired in what was taking place in Jewish communities in Crimea. Rav Lazar informed him that sedarim were being organized in three major cities; Simferopol, Sevastopol and Yalta. He added that dozens of yeshiva bochrim from the yeshiva in Moscow headed by train and plane to cities around Russia and Crimea to run public sedarim together with rabbonim and shluchim of Chabad for a total of 30,000 Jews!
News of the high-level meeting involving Rabbi Lazar and the President of the Russian Federation of Kehillos Alexander Breda was covered in the Russian media, which led to a wave of awakening and interest among the many Jews who will take part in yomtov events in shuls in their areas.
The actual letter of greetings from President Putin was read publicly at the seder headed by Rav Lazar. This seder was conducted in the Central Shul Marina Rocha, located in central Moscow. This seder was one of hundreds of public sedarim that were run throughout Russia in shuls, Jewish centers and even in prisons.
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5 Responses
President Putin is an Ohev Yisroel. Especially when lined up with previous Russian leaders.
noone should take these people as fools and essentially, you have to ask yourself is crimes of anti-antisemitism in the russian republic treated seriously?
To say Putin compares favourably with previous leaders of Russia just means he’s a “tzaddik b’doro”. Russia has never had a leader that could be described as good – some were perhaps not so bad, that’s all. Putin’s cosying up to Russia’s Jews is just a part of his politics, nothing more. The fact that Berel Lazar seems to agree with Crimea’s annexation shows he is also a politician.
With friends like Putin, we don’t need enemies.
I am inclined to believe that Rabbi Lazar understands the risks of dealing with Mr. Putin, as Chabad (I think R’ Lazar is a Chabadnik) has a long history of mediating the relationship between the Jews of Russian and Russian governments – the czars, the Soviets and now the post-Soviets.
#2 and #4, you are totally misinformed and write things you should not be writing. Putin is very nice towards the Yidden. #3,Rabbi Lazar is trying to have sholom with the malchus. Plus, with the annexation of Crimea things are not what you think — you have to know really well the whole history of the situation.