Rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman is the chief rabbi of the Brodsky Synagogue in Kyiv. He recently made a passionate video speech in which he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. He called on Russians and Jews to protest and help end the war in Ukraine. DW spoke to him about his motives and reactions to his appeal, as well as his assessment of the facts.
DW: The Kremlin says “denazification” is one of the goals of its military operation in Ukraine. What is your answer?
Moshe Reuven Azman: Who is this “denazification” against? Against the President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, who is a Jew? Or against the leader of the opposition [Vadim] Rabinovich? Only someone who has been brainwashed by television, which spreads all sorts of nonsense, could believe such rubbish. There is no Nazism in Ukraine. there are not even nationalist parties in parliament. No normal person believes this push. Moscow just needs a pretext to satisfy its imperial ambitions.
How would you assess the Russian air raid on the TV tower in Kyiv, which also affected the Babi Yar monument?
It’s a sign! I think it was a warning from above about where this war could lead. Thank God, no punitive operations have been carried out yet, but the mere fact that peaceful residents are being shot, as well as cars and buildings, is already a war crime in my opinion.
Do you expect help from Jewish communities abroad?
Russia and Putin have united the Ukrainian and Jewish peoples, the whole world, against them. Today, everyone prays for both Ukrainians and Jews. We have all been victims of the same tragedy. That is why I will continue to ask for prayers and protests. I ask you to do what you can. I have already told the Jews of Russia that they must do this. I realize that some of them have been brainwashed and some are scared. I was born in Leningrad, in the Soviet Union, when the KGB still existed. But I was not afraid. Because of my activities, I was brought to the KGB for questioning. Now again, everyone has to decide for themselves whether they want to be with the good or the bad, if they choose to participate in the crime. If everyone in Russia had taken a clear stand, the whole junta would have gotten rid of it a long time ago.
What reactions did you have to your video?
I addressed the Jews of Russia with all my heart and the Russians, these people on whom the outcome of this war depends. I was not reading a text. I reminded them that they could not just sit in front of their TVs and smile, that they would have to take responsibility for what was happening, with their tacit or non-tacit consent.
I have been called by Jews and Russians from Russia. Some said I opened their eyes. others said they knew what had been going on for a long time, but were afraid to talk about it. I am glad that I managed to open the eyes of the people with my sincere appeal. In Ukraine, I am told that I have given strong emotional support to the people here on earth.
What concerns the Jewish community in Ukraine most now?
We have set up a call center to receive calls from people who need help. We organize buses to transport people to safety in Israel and Europe. Jewish men eligible for conscription feel the need to defend Ukraine. They go to war, join the army or the territorial defense forces.
I receive thousands of messages every day. We are trying to save people. We bring food and medicine to people. There are many elderly people who cannot move on their own or are bedridden, including people who miraculously survived the Holocaust during World War II and are now forced to flee Luhansk and other cities in Donbas. This is the third and even the fourth time in their lives. They are shocked that the Russian army, which once defeated the Nazis, is now bombing them, destroying their homes and killing peaceful Ukrainians.
This interview was conducted in Ukrainian.
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