One of Russia’s chief rabbis linked the row over Estonia’s removal of a wartime monument to Soviet soldiers to Holocaust revisionism. Berel Lazar made the statement in a news release to Interfax the day before Russia’s annual World War II Victory Day celebration.”The Nazi regime killed 6 million Jews, one-third of the people, and they would have killed every Jew if Allied soldiers, primarily Russian soldier liberators, had not shown courage and heroism,” said Lazar, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.The ongoing row between Russia and Estonia, which sees the monument as a reminder of the postwar Soviet occupation in which hundreds of thousands of ethnic Estonians were killed or deported, reached a fever pitch last week as a government-supported youth organization stormed a newspaper’s offices to disrupt a news conference by the Estonian ambassador.”Graves and monuments to the dead soldiers are sacred to us,” Lazar said. “We call on all countries and peoples to treat them with respect.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
