Quote from Timothy Fitzpatrick on October 30, 2026, 12:09

October 27, 2026

Chief Rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar was awarded the degree of Honorary Doctor of the Israeli University of Bar-Ilan

On the evening of October 26, a solemn reception was held at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan in honor of the Chief Rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar, who was awarded the degree of Honorary Doctor of Philosophy. The president of the university, Professor Arye Tsaban, called the award "a worthy recognition of a great man" and announced the opening of the trauma study center, which was joined by Rabbi Lazar.

An honorary doctor of philosophy (Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa) is the highest form of academic recognition of a person's merits to science, education, culture or society. Unlike the usual PhD degree, it is awarded not for the defense of the thesis, but by the decision of the university for an outstanding contribution to a certain field. In different years, Bar-Ilan's award was awarded, in particular, by Chief Rabbi of Great Britain Jonathan Sachs (2004), former Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Moshe Amar (2017), Rabbi Adin Even-Israel (Steinsalz) (1996), as well as Miriam Adelson. In 2026, the university also announced the awarding of an honorary doctorate to U.S. President's Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff for his efforts to free hostages and reach agreements in the Middle East.

Speaking to the audience, Tsaban said that this ceremony has a special personal significance for him. His great-grandfather, Rabbi Dovid-Tevel Katsnelbogen, was the chief rabbi of Leningrad, and his grandfather fled Russia in 1922. Therefore, he called the honoring of the Chief Rabbi of Russia a kind of "circulation of the circle" of family history.

In his response, Rabbi Lazar recalled the beginning of his activity in the Soviet Union almost forty years ago, when the prospects for the restoration of community and religious life seemed hopeless to many." Everyone said: there is no future. People were afraid to tell their own children that they were Jews. Where everyone saw the destruction, the Rebe saw the Jewish soul," he said, recalling the belief of the Lubavitch Rebe Menachem-Mendle Schneerson in the possibility of restoring Jewish life in the USSR.

Speaking about Bar-Ilan University, the rabbi emphasized the special importance of combining academic knowledge with Jewish tradition." This is the place where the world of science and the world of religion meet. And this is very similar to how we built a Jewish community in Russia," he said.

On the eve of the parliamentary elections in Israel, the rabbi also addressed the topic of social unity, not without joking. "How many parties are there in Israel? I think we're in the Guinness Book of Records. If we had created the Jewish Soul party, our unity would have been stronger than disagreements," Rabbi Lazar said.

Sasha Trufanov, released from Hamas captivity, and his mother Elena spoke at the reception, talking about the support their family received from Rabbi Lazar and his wife Hana during the period when Sasha was held hostage. "There were hard days when I almost lost hope. I always called Khana or a rabbi, and they gave me strength," Elena Trufanova said. Sasha Trufanov remembered that after his release, together with the Chief Rabbi of Russia, he imposed a tfilin for the first time in his life.

After the graduation ceremony, Professor Miriam Adelson, an Israeli-American doctor, philanthropist and publisher of the Israel Hayom newspaper, who was also awarded an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University, spoke with a special word in honor of Rabbi Lazar. Together with her late husband, entrepreneur Sheldon Adelson, she supported Jewish and Israeli projects for many years. Adelson is also known as one of the biggest supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump: in 2018, he awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2024 she sent large funds to support his election campaign.

Adelson said that she met Rabbi Lazar about seven years ago, during a trip of a group of philanthropists to Moscow. She was particularly impressed by his work with children from families who have lost contact with their roots and tradition. According to her, the rabbi helps them learn the history of their families and get an education.

"He finds Jewish children all over Russia who did not know that they were Jews," Adelson said. According to Adelson, she and her husband supported this educational work with donations. "I wanted him to find a million Jews. I don't think it's possible, but who knows," she said. She added that even today she is engaged in a certain mission, the details of which she preferred not to disclose, and counts on the assistance of Rabbi Lazar in this matter. "I consult with you on many issues. He is very modest and deserves even more recognition. Now we are even: I have a doctorate from this beautiful university, and you have it too," Adelson said.

The day before, on October 25, Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog, while receiving a delegation of the Jewish community of Russia at his residence in Jerusalem, congratulated Rabbi Lazar on being awarded an honorary degree. "I want to congratulate Rabbi Lazar, who tomorrow receives an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University - one of the most important academic and scientific centers of Israel, and in my opinion, the whole world," the president said.

Source: https://mjcc.ru/news/berl-lazar-pochyotnyiy-doktor-bar-ilana/