Aprill 23, 2018 Anno Domini
Ship your leftovers to the Kremlin!
Russian President Vladimir Putin is particularly fond of Shmura Matzah and eats the staple unleavened flatbread made for Pesach throughout the year, Yedioth Aharonot reported.
Putin’s eating habit was shared in public by Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar during a press conference with reporters at Limmud FSU, an annual Jewish learning retreat for Russian-speaking Jews.
“Putin said matzah is tasty, easy and healthy to eat. He eats the matzah I bring him,” the rabbi said.
Putin is known for his frugal eating habits. “I don’t have much time for food,” the former KGB intelligence officer once said.
When he does eat, he goes for vegetables, cottage cheese, fish, lamb, rice, buckwheat but no oatmeal or alcohol. His go-to drink is a cocktail of beetroot and horseradish juice which interestingly enough would be Kosher for Pesach.
Putin eats the crunchy matzah while sipping tea, Rabbi Lazar said, ruling out the more common snacks such as English madeleines, finger sandwiches or sweet biscuits.
Rabbi Lazar, who also heads Chabad’s activities in Russia, emphasized Putin’s evolvement in the Jewish community in Russia. “Putin knows which city has a synagogue and which city doesn’t,” he said.
“The Jewish museum was inaugurated following his visit to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem where he was very moved. He even contributed one of his salaries to the Jewish museum project,” Lazar elaborated.