Rabbi with close Putin ties urges Russia to end war in Ukraine, offers to mediate

By Judah Ari Gross 3 March 2022, 8:42 pm

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Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.

File: Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) speaks with Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar (left), during a ceremony unveiling the memorial to members of the Jewish resistance in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow, on June 4, 2019. (Sergei Ilnitsky/Pool/AFP)

A prominent rabbi considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin calls to end the country’s war against Ukraine, offering to help mediate between the two sides.

“God expects every believer to do everything in their power to save human lives. Personally, I am ready for any mediation, ready to do anything I can and more in order to silence the guns and to stop the bombs,” Rabbi Berel Lazar writes in a post on a Russian Jewish website.

Lazar has served as chief rabbi of Russia for some 20 years — though this position is somewhat contested — and has long been known to have the ear of the Russian president.

“Now is the time for joint action. Therefore, I appeal to all religious leaders in Ukraine, Russia, Europe, and other continents to join forces for peace. We, loyal to God alone, should use all our influence, all of our power to stop the madness and prevent more people from dying,” he says.

This appears to be a significant break from Lazar’s previous stances on Russia’s policies in Ukraine. In 2014, when Russia effectively annexed the Crimean peninsula, Lazar denounced Ukrainian rabbis who opposed the move and told them to remain quiet about the “activity of politicians.”