Israel’s new ambassador to Russia praised authorities’ religious tolerance during his first speech at a Jewish community event.
Zvi Heifetz, who was born in the former Soviet Union, thanked Russia during the Dec. 8 event, which has been held at the Kremlin every year since 2003 with the Chabad-affiliated Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia. Some 6,000 people attended.
Heifetz, who arrived in Moscow last month, noted the recent opening of a $20 million Jewish community center and synagogue in Zhukovka, an affluent suburb of Moscow where several Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, own homes. The new synagogue, which has four stories and 54,000 square feet of floor space, is headed by the federation president, Rabbi Alexander Boroda.
“For those of us unfamiliar with the reality 30 years ago, it is very difficult to comprehend how difficult it was then,” Berel Lazar, a chief rabbi of Russia, said at the event.
Rabbi Boruch Gorin, chairman of Moscow’s Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, added, “It was nearly impossible for a Jewish organization to exist back then, much less give out prizes at the Kremlin.” — jta