HOW PUTIN DID HANUKKAH
We bring to your attention a documentary story from the book "I saw Putin!" leading political observer of Kommersant Publishing House Andrei Kolesnikov "How Vladimir Putin congratulated all of us on the holiday of Hanukkah".
Vladimir Putin was waiting for about an hour and a half for the Hanukkah holiday. The guests began to have fun uncertainly without him, someone even began to dance slowly, but immediately freeze under the puzzled looks of his colleagues.
The table at which Vladimir Putin was supposed to accidentally meet with the former and future Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu stood just to the right of the center of the hall. Some of the decision-makers apparently thought that it was unworthy of the president of a great country, and the table together with all the serving was moved half a meter closer to the center for a long time with the utmost caution.
Hanukkah was the twelfth event in the schedule of this president's day. The eleventh, because of which he was late, was a meeting with the President of Ukraine Kuchma. Journalists on the sidelines of the Jewish center, where they were pushed before Putin's arrival, recalled the recent summit in Minsk, when our president, according to them, shouted at Kuchma, demanding Ukrainian property in exchange for Russian gas, and made forecasts. According to them, we didn't have to wait for Vladimir Putin's early appearance on Hanukkah.
That's where he came. They announced: "President of the Russian Federation..." The Jews sitting at the tables hastily screw the bales scattered on the chairs, put them on, got up from their seats and applauded. Hanukkah has begun.
- Dear comrades! - said the presenter. - Let me open the solemn reception on the occasion of our national holiday! To begin with, let me remind you for what, in fact, we are all gathered here. First of all, our holiday, unlike many others, is more than two thousand years old...
The presenter briefly reminded those who did not know what Hanukkah was, the history and content of the holiday, and gave the floor to the President of Russia. Mr. Putin, in turn, went into recent history and remembered that ten years ago not all denominations could freely express their position on issues of interest to them.
- And were there such denominations ten years ago that could exist freely and work effectively? - Vladimir Putin asked the Jews, and they shook their heads vigorously and negatively.
Putin said that a whole million people who left the former USSR for Israel is a huge potential and that he himself was convinced of this personally when he came to Jerusalem seven years ago.
- I say something to the translator, and the waitress answers me: "Continue, please, in Russian."
But this was not what surprised Vladimir Putin, but the fact that when asked if she had been in Israel for a long time, a pretty girl who spoke Russian without any accent, answered that she was born here, in Jerusalem.
Vladimir Putin ended his speech quite unexpectedly.
- I want to wish happiness and success to all our people! - he said to the amazement and great joy of the Jews gathered in the hall, looking around them.
The host gave the floor to Berl Lazar. He said that Vladimir Putin had been interested in him for a long time how Hanunkah was celebrated, but he couldn't really answer him, and finally got ready.
- Jews are going - he said - they light candles... And remember how we, Jewish children, received Hanukah money from adults. You'll have to admit, this is never forgotten...
The presenter announced that the first Hanukkah candle will be lit by Vladimir Putin and Berl Lazar. Berl Lazar stretched out his hand behind this candle, but our president's reaction was, of course, better. He took a candle, lit it and wanted to go to the table, but then a Hanukkah song was sung, and he returned to the microphone.
While the song was being performed, an elderly Jewish woman who was standing next to Vladimir Putin with a heavy gilded statuette in her hands was carefully taken out of the guests' service. The statuette was taken from her for examination, and she herself was returned to the place.
Vladimir Putin was presented with another, FSO-tested gift - a Hanukkah candlestick called a menorah. The presenter, apparently brave from Putin's last words, said:
- For the Jews, the menorah is a symbol of a miracle. The enemies tried to conquer the Jerusalem menorah so many times, but they couldn't. Well, what gift can we give to our beloved president? The Kremlin should consecrate the same menorah as Jerusalem! And don't conquer it! We give it ourselves to those who deserve it!
In response to these words, which probably seemed risky to someone, Vladimir Putin answered no less risky:
- I want to assure you, friends, that the light and goodness that it brings will definitely illuminate the Kremlin!
- To illuminate or to consecrate? - a Jew in a coat and a kip asked me worriedly, writing down Putin's words feverishly.
The floor was finally given to Benjamin Netanyahu.
- BBC! BBC! - the hall began to chant, anticipating a good election speech of the most likely candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Israel.
- Tenkyu, deer friends! - he didn't let the audience down.
After that, Mr. Netanyahu admitted in English in frustration that he would really like to speak Russian, but he can't because he doesn't know it.
Netanyahu's Russian-speaking assistant Beni Briskin came up to me and asked me if I didn't know if Putin understood English or not.
- Where did this translator come from? - he whispered worriedly and nervously. - Netanyahu says that Russia and Israel are similar in that there are terrorists both there and here, only we have them at a distance of 250 meters, and you have two and a half thousand kilometers. And this one, you hear, translates that not two and a half thousand, but only twenty-five kilometers! Bibi won't understand it like that! Something needs to be done!
But it was too late to do something. Netanyahu was already finishing:
- Look what happened: the President of Russia lit a Hanukkah candle! Isn't this evidence of changes in Russia for the better!
Finally, the speeches were over, and the guests settled down at the tables. Putin and Netanyahu began to talk lively, though again through the same translator. And I talked to one of the guests, an entrepreneur from Moscow. He was extremely excited.
- I'm very afraid that Putin didn't like Bibi's speech! - he said hotly. - Very much! Bibi walked on the edge of a knife. It is quite possible that now Arabs will burn not only American flags, but also Russian ones. Russia should be ready for this.
- They have a lot of reasons to burn Russian flags tonight, even without Bibi's speech," his neighbor at the table added conciliatoryly.
- And yet I'm afraid Putin didn't like it - the entrepreneur was nervous.
Meanwhile, the songs began. The guests offered glasses to each other. Still no one dared to start dancing. Sasha Feldman, represented as the "golden violin of America, Russia and Bulgaria", played the violin. He showed the wonders of acrobatics, playing first behind his back, then on his head, and then between his legs, tightly gripping the bow with his hips. Putin interrupted the conversation with Netanyahu and looked at the acrobat without breaking away. After that, the president came to the microphone again.
- About your conflict with the Palestinians... There are things I can't afford as president in my current position," he said and was silent for a moment. - I can't talk about everything...
The hall froze. It became very quiet.
- But I'm sharing! I share...
The hall exploded with ovations and screams.
- I was wrong - said the entrepreneur standing next to me. - Putin liked everything very much.
Having finished with the fact that Russia occupies a unique place in the world and that many accents have changed a lot recently, but not everyone understands this yet, but understanding will definitely come, Vladimir Putin left the hall. Mr. Netanyahu left after him. They say that they talked in private for another hour and a half.
- Friends! - announced the presenter in the hall after they left. - Hanukkah begins!
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20110506040704/http://za.zubr.in.ua/2010/12/12/9322/
HOW PUTIN DID HANUKKAH
We bring to your attention a documentary story from the book "I saw Putin!" leading political observer of Kommersant Publishing House Andrei Kolesnikov "How Vladimir Putin congratulated all of us on the holiday of Hanukkah".
Vladimir Putin was waiting for about an hour and a half for the Hanukkah holiday. The guests began to have fun uncertainly without him, someone even began to dance slowly, but immediately freeze under the puzzled looks of his colleagues.
The table at which Vladimir Putin was supposed to accidentally meet with the former and future Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu stood just to the right of the center of the hall. Some of the decision-makers apparently thought that it was unworthy of the president of a great country, and the table together with all the serving was moved half a meter closer to the center for a long time with the utmost caution.
Hanukkah was the twelfth event in the schedule of this president's day. The eleventh, because of which he was late, was a meeting with the President of Ukraine Kuchma. Journalists on the sidelines of the Jewish center, where they were pushed before Putin's arrival, recalled the recent summit in Minsk, when our president, according to them, shouted at Kuchma, demanding Ukrainian property in exchange for Russian gas, and made forecasts. According to them, we didn't have to wait for Vladimir Putin's early appearance on Hanukkah.
That's where he came. They announced: "President of the Russian Federation..." The Jews sitting at the tables hastily screw the bales scattered on the chairs, put them on, got up from their seats and applauded. Hanukkah has begun.
- Dear comrades! - said the presenter. - Let me open the solemn reception on the occasion of our national holiday! To begin with, let me remind you for what, in fact, we are all gathered here. First of all, our holiday, unlike many others, is more than two thousand years old...
The presenter briefly reminded those who did not know what Hanukkah was, the history and content of the holiday, and gave the floor to the President of Russia. Mr. Putin, in turn, went into recent history and remembered that ten years ago not all denominations could freely express their position on issues of interest to them.
- And were there such denominations ten years ago that could exist freely and work effectively? - Vladimir Putin asked the Jews, and they shook their heads vigorously and negatively.
Putin said that a whole million people who left the former USSR for Israel is a huge potential and that he himself was convinced of this personally when he came to Jerusalem seven years ago.
- I say something to the translator, and the waitress answers me: "Continue, please, in Russian."
But this was not what surprised Vladimir Putin, but the fact that when asked if she had been in Israel for a long time, a pretty girl who spoke Russian without any accent, answered that she was born here, in Jerusalem.
Vladimir Putin ended his speech quite unexpectedly.
- I want to wish happiness and success to all our people! - he said to the amazement and great joy of the Jews gathered in the hall, looking around them.
The host gave the floor to Berl Lazar. He said that Vladimir Putin had been interested in him for a long time how Hanunkah was celebrated, but he couldn't really answer him, and finally got ready.
- Jews are going - he said - they light candles... And remember how we, Jewish children, received Hanukah money from adults. You'll have to admit, this is never forgotten...
The presenter announced that the first Hanukkah candle will be lit by Vladimir Putin and Berl Lazar. Berl Lazar stretched out his hand behind this candle, but our president's reaction was, of course, better. He took a candle, lit it and wanted to go to the table, but then a Hanukkah song was sung, and he returned to the microphone.
While the song was being performed, an elderly Jewish woman who was standing next to Vladimir Putin with a heavy gilded statuette in her hands was carefully taken out of the guests' service. The statuette was taken from her for examination, and she herself was returned to the place.
Vladimir Putin was presented with another, FSO-tested gift - a Hanukkah candlestick called a menorah. The presenter, apparently brave from Putin's last words, said:
- For the Jews, the menorah is a symbol of a miracle. The enemies tried to conquer the Jerusalem menorah so many times, but they couldn't. Well, what gift can we give to our beloved president? The Kremlin should consecrate the same menorah as Jerusalem! And don't conquer it! We give it ourselves to those who deserve it!
In response to these words, which probably seemed risky to someone, Vladimir Putin answered no less risky:
- I want to assure you, friends, that the light and goodness that it brings will definitely illuminate the Kremlin!
- To illuminate or to consecrate? - a Jew in a coat and a kip asked me worriedly, writing down Putin's words feverishly.
The floor was finally given to Benjamin Netanyahu.
- BBC! BBC! - the hall began to chant, anticipating a good election speech of the most likely candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Israel.
- Tenkyu, deer friends! - he didn't let the audience down.
After that, Mr. Netanyahu admitted in English in frustration that he would really like to speak Russian, but he can't because he doesn't know it.
Netanyahu's Russian-speaking assistant Beni Briskin came up to me and asked me if I didn't know if Putin understood English or not.
- Where did this translator come from? - he whispered worriedly and nervously. - Netanyahu says that Russia and Israel are similar in that there are terrorists both there and here, only we have them at a distance of 250 meters, and you have two and a half thousand kilometers. And this one, you hear, translates that not two and a half thousand, but only twenty-five kilometers! Bibi won't understand it like that! Something needs to be done!
But it was too late to do something. Netanyahu was already finishing:
- Look what happened: the President of Russia lit a Hanukkah candle! Isn't this evidence of changes in Russia for the better!
Finally, the speeches were over, and the guests settled down at the tables. Putin and Netanyahu began to talk lively, though again through the same translator. And I talked to one of the guests, an entrepreneur from Moscow. He was extremely excited.
- I'm very afraid that Putin didn't like Bibi's speech! - he said hotly. - Very much! Bibi walked on the edge of a knife. It is quite possible that now Arabs will burn not only American flags, but also Russian ones. Russia should be ready for this.
- They have a lot of reasons to burn Russian flags tonight, even without Bibi's speech," his neighbor at the table added conciliatoryly.
- And yet I'm afraid Putin didn't like it - the entrepreneur was nervous.
Meanwhile, the songs began. The guests offered glasses to each other. Still no one dared to start dancing. Sasha Feldman, represented as the "golden violin of America, Russia and Bulgaria", played the violin. He showed the wonders of acrobatics, playing first behind his back, then on his head, and then between his legs, tightly gripping the bow with his hips. Putin interrupted the conversation with Netanyahu and looked at the acrobat without breaking away. After that, the president came to the microphone again.
- About your conflict with the Palestinians... There are things I can't afford as president in my current position," he said and was silent for a moment. - I can't talk about everything...
The hall froze. It became very quiet.
- But I'm sharing! I share...
The hall exploded with ovations and screams.
- I was wrong - said the entrepreneur standing next to me. - Putin liked everything very much.
Having finished with the fact that Russia occupies a unique place in the world and that many accents have changed a lot recently, but not everyone understands this yet, but understanding will definitely come, Vladimir Putin left the hall. Mr. Netanyahu left after him. They say that they talked in private for another hour and a half.
- Friends! - announced the presenter in the hall after they left. - Hanukkah begins!
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20110506040704/http://za.zubr.in.ua/2010/12/12/9322/
