Vladimir Putin meets with Berel Lazar.
Vladimir Putin meets with Russia’s Chief Rabbi, Berel Lazar, as an ally in the fight against the falsification of history.
A Jewish Museum will open in Moscow in two years – the building has been completed and only the interior has left to be finished. “Much work is still ahead, but, thank God, we can already see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Berel Lazar said. The prime minister and the chief rabbi met before the International Day of Commemoration to honour the victims of the Holocaust on January 27.
“We Jews will never forget what the Soviet Army, the Red Army, did for us during World War II. We must clearly emphasise this and tell people how it was in reality, because, regrettably, what we see happening in Ukraine in the last few days is simply appalling,” Berel Lazar said.
It is worth noting that Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko posthumously awarded Stepan Bandera, leader of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists, the Hero of Ukraine title on January 22, 2010. The Ukrainian president announced his intention to award Bandera the country’s highest title at a ceremony marking Ukraine Day. Vladimir Putin did not comment on that event, unlike the relocation of the Bronze Soldier in Tallinn or the demolition of the war memorial in Kutaisi. However, he said that he “closely followed what was happening in the world to distort history, in particular, to deny the Holocaust”.
Vladimir Putin added that Jewish organisations were Russia’s consistent allies in its efforts to preserve the memory of past tragic events and to fight counter-historical revisionism. “We absolutely agree with you on this issue. I would like to thank you for that,” the prime minister said. “Historical facts are the best answer when we see something like this,” Berel Lazar stressed. “It is frightening that now some people are trying again to come up with their own versions of history.”
The chief rabbi added that “those who saw and felt this tragedy could not deny it.” “There are many people who, by no coincidence, continue to say: we were there, we know who helped us and who did not,” he said. Berel Lazar promised that Russia’s Jewish community would continue to honour the Soviet Union’s help for the Jewish nation. The rabbi also said a few words about Nazism: “It is bad not only because its proponents killed, but because they killed and justified their actions. There were people who helped them in the Baltic countries and in Ukraine – local people who took part in the liquidation of the Jews.”
Meanwhile
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed a decree stipulating instructions for toll road operators. According to the decree, a driver will conclude a contract with the operator according to one of the following procedures: by entering a toll road, by paying for the drive at a toll station, by purchasing a ticket, or by purchasing or renting a special device to pay the toll electronically. The toll, the maximum limit for which is set by the government, is calculated by the operator through a procedure that the government will introduce.
Pyotr Skobelev
