By COLlive reporter
Photos by Levi Nazarov
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a letter to Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar ahead of 500 orchestrated Jewish events attended by thousands upon thousands of Russian Jews.
Before the Politico website hatches a second conspiracy article of how Chabad is the go-to between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, let us clarify some details.
The events across the country were Seders celebrating Pesach and the letter from Putin which arrived on the eve of Pesach contained his annual greetings to the Jewish community in honor of “the Jewish holiday of freedom.”
The letter was addressed to Rabbi Lazar and came to his office at the Marina Roscha Synagogue and Jewish Community Center in Moscow, which hosted one of the 150 public Seders on Monday and Tuesday night.
At the beginning the Seder, the letter from President Putin were read aloud to the guests. People present were grateful that they are able to celebrate their Judaism openly, unlike during the Communist regime.
Other Seders in Moscow were held at the Shaarey Tzedek Chesed Center, Beit Shvidler Educational Campus, Chabad centers, and in many other institutions near the Central Shul.
The Seders were organized by language, age groups, and even levels of observance, but not political affiliation. “We want every single Jew can find the Seder that is most suitable for them,” an organizer told COLlive.com.
One Seder was even held in the Butyrskaya Prison, commonly known as Butyrka, the largest prison in Moscow and one of the oldest and best-known prisons in Russia.
Dozens of Yeshiva bochurim, children of Moscow’s Shluchim, young men from the capital’s Kolel, and about 150 students of the Yeshiva Gedola and Mesivta in Moscow, were sent out to cities all over Russia. Many of these cities do not have Shluchim present all year and wait for the bochurim’s visit for Pesach.
No conspiracy. Is there?
PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION pr-643 10/04/2017 Moscow, Kremlin Russian Jews I congratulate Russian Jews on the Pesach holiday. This holiday reminds of the most important milestone in the history of the Jewish people of getting rid of centuries-old slavery. Its ancient traditions are carefully preserved and passed down from generation to generation. These days the Jews turn to the sources and values of the richest cultural and spiritual heritage of Judaism, which today have an everlasting universal significance. After all, they are based on the eternal ideals of justice, kindness, concern for one’s neighbor. It is gratifying that the… Read more »
The seders in russia look so much better and elegant than the ones I went to in NY over the years. I struggle to get my kids to like Pesach and by extension judaism I pay for the seders and there are oftentimes so poorly prepared. in bothe material and spiritual sense. I want to pay more and have beautiful seders like the ones they apparently have in Moscow. I generally think that Chabad takes better care of the jews in Russia than of us here in brooklyn.
Please translate letter. It must have coded messages to Trump about world policy and military tactics.