President Putin: 'I love Rabbi Lazar'
President Vladimir Putin with Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar (archive photo)
October 29, 2004
"Rabbi Lazar is a rabbi who devotes himself to his work 24 hours a day, without any departments, and with extraordinary friendliness and brotherhood." These words were spoken candidly by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting he held in the Kremlin with Jewish-American leaders. "I love Rabbi Lazar with all my heart," the president added in praise of the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar.
On Tuesday afternoon, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a special meeting in the Kremlin for the heads of Jewish-American organizations, organized and attended by Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar and Lev Leviev, which lasted longer than expected—two and a half hours.
When the conversation turned to the subject of the Jewish community in Russia, the President surprised his guests by telling them: "The large building that Rabbi Lazar built for the Jews in Moscow is the pride of the Russian people and my personal pride. I talk about the beautiful building we have in Moscow everywhere in the world!"
The president's words praising Chabad's work were published in a press release issued by the Russian Government Press Office and were prominently featured in Russian and international media outlets—which resulted in the sanctification of Shem Shaamim and the sanctification of Shem Lubavitch in a most impressive manner.
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20041029011527/http://www.col.org.il/chaim_test/show_news.asp?131