Moscow's chief rabbi leaves Russia after regime demanded he support war in Ukraine
VALENTYNA ROMANENKO - WEDNESDAY, 8 JUNE 2022, 11:27
Moscow's Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt has left Russia after authorities demanded that he publicly support the war in Ukraine.
Source: Mediazone, quoting journalist and rabbi's sister-in-law Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt
Details: According to Chizhik-Goldschmidt, the rabbi first travelled to Hungary with his wife Dara to raise funds for refugees, and later the family flew to Israel as the rabbi's father was hospitalised in Jerusalem.
Goldschmidt left Russia in early May 2022, according to a French newspaper, a photo of which was published by a journalist.
He has been replaced by David Yushuvayev as Moscow's chief rabbi.
Chizhik-Goldschmidt added that since she refused to publicly support the Putin regime's so-called 'special operation', her husband's parents "have been banished from the community which they built and in which they loved and raised their children for over 33 years."
It is noted, however, that with the help of Israel's chief rabbis, the Russian rabbis re-elected Goldschmidt to the post he had held for more than 30 years.
