Russia brands former chief rabbi a ‘foreign agent’
"I resigned because to continue as chief rabbi of Moscow would be a problem for the community because of the repressive measures taken against dissidents."
(TIMES OF ISRAEL, AP, JTA) – RUSSIA has branded the former chief rabbi of Moscow a “foreign agent” over a year after he left following the invasion of Ukraine. He subsequently called on Russian Jews to flee the country, warning that they may become scapegoats for hardships brought on by the sputtering war.
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt was one of several individuals and entities added to the foreign agents list last Friday by the Russian Justice Ministry.
He left Moscow in March 2022 and resigned a few months later. He had served as chief rabbi of Moscow for some 30 years.
“Pressure was put on community leaders to support the war, and I refused to do so,” he told The Guardian in December.
“I resigned because to continue as chief rabbi of Moscow would be a problem for the community because of the repressive measures taken against dissidents.”
The Russian Justice Ministry said Goldschmidt was included on the list for disseminating “false information about the decisions taken by public authorities of the Russian Federation and their policies”, according to a report by Interfax, and for opposing the “special military operation” in Ukraine – the term Russia uses to describe the war.
Goldschmidt, who has served as the head of the Conference of European Rabbis since 2011, said in a response quoted by Maariv and Ynet that he was “proud to be on the right side of history and to join the list of people opposing this terrible war that has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands”.
“This is the first time since the beginning of the war that a religious leader has been declared a foreign agent and described by the Russian government as a hostile threat,” he was quoted as saying.
“It’s very likely that this will mean the start of a new antisemitic campaign against the Jewish community in Russia. I’ve previously called on the local Jewish community to leave the country before it’s too late.”
Goldschmidt said that for 30 years he “nurtured and protected Moscow’s Jewish community, and no decision will prevent me from continuing to do so”.
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