Berel Lazar
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Rabbi Berel Lazar (born 1964) is an Orthodox rabbi affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. He is presently one of two claimants to the title "Chief Rabbi of Russia", is the chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities. In September 2005 he was appointed a member of Public Chamber of Russia by President Vladimir Putin's Decree.[1]
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[edit] Biography
A native of Milan, Italy, Rabbi Lazar was born in 1964 to parents who were among the first emissaries of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Until the age of 15, he studied in Milan’s Merkaz Jewish Day School. Afterwards, he went on to study in New York and pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies at the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of 23, he was ordained at the Central Lubavitch Yeshiva in New York.[2]
Since 1990 Berel Lazar was Rabbi of the synagogue in Maryina Roshcha District of Moscow.
In 1992 Lazar got acquainted with Israeli diamantaire Lev Leviev, who introduced him to Russian businessmen Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich. The latter became the major benefactor of the synagogue in Maryina Roshcha.
In 1992, Lazar was appointed chairman of the Rabbinical Alliance of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
In early 1990s Lazar participated in activity of Congress of the Jewish Religious Organizations and Associations in Russia, was an active participant of founding congress of Russian Jewish Congress in 1996 and even was a member of RJC Presidium.
In 1997 he helped establish the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS representing Chabad communities in 15 countries of former Soviet Union.
At the first congress of Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia opened on November 15, 1999 he was elected chief Rabbi of FJCR. According to many analytics, FJCR structure was created as counterbalance to Russian Jewish Congress (headed by Vladimir Gusinsky) and CJROAR (chief Rabbi — Adolf Shayevich). In the same month there was the first Berel Lazar's meeting with Vladimir Putin.
He wasn't at Vladimir Putin's inauguration in May 2000, what apperently was related to the fact he wasn't citizen of Russia at the moment.
On May 29, 2000 Berel Lazar became citizen of Russia, while retaining U.S. citizenship.
On June 13, 2000 at the "all-Jews congress" (of 87 communities at the place, 70 represented FJCR, 4 — CJROAR, the rest — Federation of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Russia (Va’ad)) 25 of 26 Rabbies elected Berel Lazar chief Rabbi of Russia.
On September 18, 2000 with presense of President of Russia Vladimir Putin the Moscow Jewish Community Center was opened in Maryina Roshcha District, where on December 21, 2000 Vladimir Putin and Moscow major Yury Luzhkov lit Hanukkah candles.
In 2000, Berel Lazar was appointed to Russia's Council for Coordination of Religious Associations. In 2002, Lazar was elected Chairman of the Rabbinical Council of the World Congress of Russian Jewry.
On January 23, 2001 he took place in official meeting with President of Israel Moshe Katsav in Kremlin.
On March 20, 2001 under instruction of the President Vladimir Putin Berel Lazar was included in the Presidential Council for Interaction with Religious Organizations and Unions; simultaneously Shayevich was excluded from the Council.
According to both the Russian government and the Federation of Jewish Communities he is the Chief Rabbi of Russia.[2]
[edit] Family life
Wife — Khanna Deren, daughter of American Rabbi, citizen of the U.S.
Berel Lazar has 12 children: 5 sons and 7 daughters.
[edit] Controversy
A bitter rivalry has been ongoing in Russia for the past 10 years between Lazar, chief rabbi for the Chabad-Lubavitch-dominated Federation of Jewish Communities, and Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the pluralist Russian Jewish Congress, over who represents the Jews of Russia on an official basis.[3] The Kremlin officially recognized Lazar as the religious leader of the Russian Jewish community, pushing aside the congress’s Rabbi Adolf Shayevich, who until then had occupied the post.[3] Since the installation of Rabbi Lazar as the Chief Rabbi of Russia by the Chabad Federation there have been a number of controversies associated with Chabad influence with president Vladimir Putin, and their funding from various Russian oligarchs, including Lev Leviev and Roman Abramovich.[4] Lazar is known for his close ties to Putin's Kremlin.[5]
Putin became close to the Chabad movement after a number of non-Chabad Jewish oligarchs and Rabbis including Vladimir Gusinsky (the founder of the non-Chabad Russian Jewish Congress), backed other candidates for president. Lev Leviev, a chabad oligarch[6] supported Putin, and the close relationship between them led to him supporting the Chabad federation nomination of Lazar as Chief Rabbi of Russia, an appointment that Putin immediately recognised despite it not having been made by the established Jewish organisation.[7] Some have gone so far as to describe Lazar as Putin's Court Jew; Lazar responded to these allegations:
| “ | I do not know what a court Jew is. There are some people whose only purpose is to speak in condemnation of the government. I try to be objective. The situation in Russia has improved under Putin. People get pensions. The standard of living is rising. There are also negative phenomena, which deserve to be criticized. There is corruption at all levels, though that has been characteristic of Russia in the past 80 years. The reform is in bad shape and there are also many other ills.[4] | ” |
Rabbi Adolf Shayevich, who had been Chief Rabbi of Russia until 1998, argues that the Lazar is merely the appointee of Chabad and that he remains Chief Rabbi. What happened, he explains, "has nothing to with religion and everything to do with politics and business. The president invites him to receptions and does not invite me. I am not offended."[4]
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt who attempted to set up a rival rabbinical college to elect a non-Chabad chief rabbi was expelled from Russia by order of the government three days after he convened the meeting, after having lived in Russia for fifteen years.[8] According to rival oligarch Vladimir Slutsker Goldschmidt told friends that it was Slutsker that had him expelled due to his opposition to Chabad.[4][9] Lazar made no protest at the expulsion of his rival, and within days was appointed to Public Chamber of Russia, [10] a body with consultative powers that however was criticized by human rights groups have as a window dressing exercise, packed with Putin acolytes to "legitimize the government’s increasingly authoritarian policies".[11]
According to an editorial in the Jerusalem Post the reason why Lazar has not protested Putin's arrests of Jewish Oligarchs and Goldschmidt's deportation is that "Russia's own chief rabbi, Chabad emissary Berel Lazar, is essentially a Kremlin appointee who has been made to neutralize the more outspoken and politically active leaders of rival Jewish organizations."[12]
In 2003 while many around the world criticised the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky Lazar praised the action saying that "The future of the country shouldn’t be in the hands of one man who has money,"[3] Rival RJC chair head Yevgeny Satanovsky said that Lazar’s endorsement of the actions was intended to develop a role as the special Jew for Putin in order to strengthen the position of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which he said was built around the worship of Schneerson.[3] Lazar responded that "it’s no secret that I have a very good relationship with the president."[3]
[edit] Darkei Shalom synagogue
The Darkei Shalom synagogue is a major synagogue in northern Moscow. It was affiliated with Chamah, a religious and social welfare movement on behalf of former Soviet Jews with offices in New York and Israel, as well as Moscow. The spiritual leader of Darkei Shalom, Rabbi David Karpov, is a devotee of the late Lubavitcher rebbe, yet over the years he has distanced himself from FJCR, the Chabad rabbinical grouping in Russia that appointed and is headed by Lazar. Kaprov was telephoned by Lazar telling him that the synagogue was being gifted to the Chabad movement by its owners and that he would have to leave the synagogue, and resign his post to make way for the a new Chabad emissary.[13] Lazar suggested that if he fell into line with FJCR he may be allowed to stay. At the same time Kaprov received court orders over various technical and administrative issues, which Kaprov argued were due to Lazar pressuring Kaprov. In an open letter to Lazar, Rabbi Adolf Shayevich and 16 other rabbis wrote:[13]
| “ | We would like to express our deep disappointment and discontent with the recent attempt of FEOR to forcefully capture the Darkei Shalom Congregation, one of the most successful and respected Jewish congregations of Russia. This kind of attitude demonstrated by Rabbi Berel Lazar contradicts the spirit of Torah and is apparently based on typical methods deployed by Russian criminals. | ” |
Shayevich added in a statement to the press that "they already have too much money and power, and are using it to destroy all Jewish organizations which resist Chabad’s total domination of Russian Jewish life."[13] [14]
[edit] Putin Medal
At the sixtieth anniversary commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz at the concentration camp, Putin gave a speech. His speech was followed by Lazar awarding Putin the so-called Salvation medal as a symbol of "the Jewish people's gratitude" to Russia for liberating the camp[15]. According to Poland's chief rabbi, Lazar's speech was not on the schedule for the event. A similar medal was given to the president of Poland, Aleksandr Kwasniewski, for hosting the ceremony. Lazar later defended his action saying that he "had no second thoughts"[citation needed].
[edit] Awards
In 2004, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an edict to honor him with the Order of Friendship. This award is being presented for the contribution made by Rabbi Lazar to developing culture and strengthening friendship between nations within Russia.[2] In December of 2004, he was honored with a national public award, the 'Minin and Pozharsky' Order "for his great personal contribution to strengthening the moral and cultural fabric of the Russian State and for reviving spiritual life and religious freedom in the country".[2] In June of 2005, he was awarded the Medal "60 Years of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945". He received the medal during the 19th session of the Russian 'Pobeda' (Victory) Organizational Committee.[2] In September of 2005, he received the 'Peter the Great' First Class Order. The diploma attached to the Order explains that the Chief Rabbi was honored with this award "considering his activities in advancing inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations, and his great contribution to the spiritual rebirth of Russia’s Jewish community and to strengthening Russian state".[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Members of Public Chamber of Russia (in Russian)
- ^ a b c d e f Federation of Jewish Communties Website, Biography of Lazar
- ^ a b c d e Rival Russian Jewish Leaders Lend Backing to Putin, Nathaniel Popper, The Forward, November 14, 2003
- ^ a b c d No love lost, Yossi Mehlman, Haaretz, December 11, 2005
- ^ Chabad Prize to Putin Spurring Debate Over Russian's Actions, Eric J. Greenberg, The Forward, February 4, 2005
- ^ Cracked De Beers, Phyllis Berman Lea Goldman, September 15, 2003
- ^ Putin, Making a Gesture to Jews, Slips Into a Factional Morass, Michael Wines, New York Times, September 19, 2000
- ^ Russia’s decision to keep rabbi out for security reasons called ‘absurd’, Lev Krichevsky, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, November 22, 2005
- ^ Russia: Why was Moscow's Chief Rabbi deported?, Geraldine Fagan, Forum 18 News Service, October 7, 2005
- ^ Chief Rabbi of Russia Named to Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, FJC News, October 6 2005
- ^ Putin Names Rabbi To Advisory Body, The Jewish Week, October 7, 2005
- ^ Editorial, Jerusalem Post, June 2, 2005
- ^ a b c Hostile Takeover In Moscow? Critics of Chabad-led umbrella group angry as shul changes hands; AJCongress dragged into controversy, Walter Ruby, Jewish Week, April 1 2005
- ^ Critics of Chabad-led umbrella group angry as shul changes hands; AJCongress dragged into controversy, Walter Ruby, Jewish Week, April 1 2005
- ^ Chabad Prize to Putin Spurring Debate Over Russian's Actions
