The chief rabbi of Moscow said he expects U.S. relations with Russia and Israel to improve under president-elect Donald Trump.
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, who is also the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, made the projection Nov. 15 during an interview in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, which for the first time was hosting his organization’s biannual Standing Committee gathering.
“We believe there’s going to be a serious attempt at bettering the relationship,” Goldschmidt said about U.S.-Russia ties, citing statements by officials in both countries.
Under President Barack Obama, the United States has taken a leading role in imposing international sanctions against Russia for its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
At the same time, Goldschmidt also said he was concerned by the possibility of a rise in the popularity of far-right groups in Europe — they celebrated the Republican’s election as a victory to their cause.
“Definitely, we are not the only ones, we hear this all over Europe, the concern of the rise of the extreme right on the coattails of the Trump victory,” he said.
Making reference to kosher slaughter and circumcision, Goldschmidt added: “We especially in the Jewish community are concerned regarding a renewed push against our religious freedoms.”
Both customs, which are shared by Muslims and Jews, have come under attack in Europe by far-right politicians who view them as foreign, often as part of their desire to combat what they regard as the growing effect of Islam in Europe. Left-leaning circles have often attacked the same customs, which many of their supporters regard as barbaric. — jta