Quote from Timothy Fitzpatrick on April 19, 2026, 19:20

By May Samra
December 3, 2024

End of November. Israel. We are at the house of Itzhak Herzog, the president, in a meeting organized by Keren Hayesod, and among the large crowd there is a figure that stands out for his appearance.

A long white beard that descends into the void in tight inverted cones. Small and bright eyes that smile behind the rectangular crystals. Black hat and suit. The typical outfit of an Ashkenazi rabbi.

https://youtu.be/t9mXMkZitFc?si=jb0pM_CDjUJILHjP

But he is not a typical Ashkenazi rabbi or, at least, not just any one. He is Berel Lazar, the great rabbi of Russia and, as we are about to know, an important figure in the network of bilateral relations between that country and this country, where today we meet to interview him, exclusively.

"It is very easy and very comfortable to be Jewish in Russia. There is no anti-Semitism and we have the support of the government and all the people around us. People understand what is happening in Israel," he replies when we inquire about the situation of the Jews in Russia.

Then dedicate a brief sentence to the war that Russia is waging: "The situation with Ukraine is very painful and difficult. We are praying that there will be peace very soon."

That line of ideas leads him to the issue that is most important to him: peace in Israel. "Of course, if we want true peace in Israel, we must get rid of all the terrorists. Of the crazy people of Hamas and its organization who, unfortunately, are not only inhuman but have no right to exist."

"They must be completely destroyed if we want to have peace in Israel, with God's help."

That is, according to the vision of the great rabbi of Russia, for there to be peace it is necessary to destroy the enemy.

“Peace for humanity is the preparation for the arrival of the Messiah.”

"That's what we pray for and that's what we're working on, to attract one more Jew to his people and to God and his Torah, and that everyone does what they can to make the world a better place, a better place for the Messiah."

Two strange allies: the United States and Russia

For Israel, the war between Russia and Ukraine laid bare a contradiction: being simultaneously an ally of Putin and Zelensky, of the West and of the quasi-dictatorial Russia of a ruler accused of imprisoning and even killing his political opponents.

The contradiction of having the unrestricted support of the United States, historical and current enemy of Russia, but without distancing itself from Russia, close to Syria and Iran, both bitter enemies of the Jewish State.

"President Putin has been a great support for Israel with everything that is happening. With the situation of the hostages and many other problems that occur in this region, with Syria, with Iran, with all this crazy situation in which we are," says the great rabbi with some ambiguity.

"Thank God we have had a very strong support from our friends and we hope that this brings good results and that there is peace," he adds.

Then, the great rabbi of Russia confesses that he himself has played an important role in the rapprochement between Netanyahu and Putin.

"The meeting that Bibi (Netanyahu) had with Putin happened, in fact, in my office. Bibi said that was the beginning of many blessings for Israel. Let's hope that many other meetings will take go sent and that they will be bridges to bring our people closer."

He assures that "we do what we can to help the two countries get closer and to find ways to coordinate and cooperate in many different projects."

But what can the Jewish community of the Diaspora do, from countries that have no impact on the conflict, to help Israel right now?

The Jews of the Diaspora, he says, have to think at all times how they can help Israel in Israel, first of all. And then, "Stort what is happening in the world."

It refers to the rise of anti-Semitism, stilted by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, first, and with Lebanon later.

That's why he thinks that the Jews have to "make people understand what we defend. Our goal is peace. Our goal is to bring light to the world."

The great rabbi of Russia believes that this is the individual mission of each Jew as an individual and of the Jewish people as a whole. "The first thing is to understand that we have a special mission from God to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah," he insists.

That implies "being an example for nations, which means living a life with eternal value. The Jewish people have remained here only because they have the Torah, because they have the tradition.

"The moment people see how we respect all our values, they will respect God, they will connect with God, who is part of our mission. And also to know that we don't live for ourselves," says the great rabbi of Russia. "No Jew thinks that their goal in life is to become richer, live with ´more comfort, eat well or have a better house."

"We live for a mission, which is to help others to be happy and to feel that their heart is full."

Source: https://www.enlacejudio.com/2024/12/03/netanyahu-y-putin-tuvieron-su-primera-reunion-en-mi-oficina-gran-rabino-de-rusia/