At Limmud FSU Moscow, the largest-ever festival for Russian-speaking Jews, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked told the Moscow Jewish community that Israel “would be happy” if Russia moved its embassy to Jerusalem.

“The fact that Russia talks about Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel is significant progress for us,” said Shaked, who is also the only secular woman in the Jewish Home party. “We would be happy if Russia would follow the United States’ lead and consider moving the Russian embassy to Jerusalem.”

Elaborating on Israeli-Russian relations, Shaked added: “This is a period of prosperity between Israel and Russia. Israeli-Russian relations have never been so positive, and neither has the attitude of the Russian government toward Jews and Judaism.”

On Russia’s involvement in Syria, Shaked said, “Russia must prevent Iran from taking over Syria, and not allow the transfer of arms to Hezbollah or other terrorist organizations. The Russian government has told me that it’s important for them to respect international law, but protecting their own interests is of the utmost importance. In my opinion, this is the correct approach for a state to take – and Israel should also define for itself what its interests are, and act accordingly.”

Also, speaking at the conference this weekend was Russia’s chief rabbi, Berel Lazar, among others. The event included more than 250 workshops, roundtables and activities for children, and 12 lectures each hour on topics ranging from Jewish history, to politics, to cooking, and more.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)