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Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar: Dagestan terrorists will be destroyed

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The terrorists and fanatics involved in Sunday’s attacks on churches and a synagogue in the Republic of Dagestan wanted to disrupt the peace between Christian, Jewish and Muslim Russians and had to be destroyed by the government, said Russian Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar. The Jerusalem Post On Monday.

Lazar said the attack, in which 15 police officers, a priest and several civilians were killed by Islamic terrorists, was not directed against Jews as much as against the government and the church, and that Jews were part of that target.

The attackers shot at everyone who was on the streets of Derbent and Makhachkala, the rabbi said, and in the attack on the church in Derbent, Pastor Nikolai Kotelnikov was “slaughtered, they did not simply murder him.”

The Russian Orthodox Church said in a statement that his throat had been cut. The police officers who were killed were also subjected to indecent treatment, the rabbi said. A security guard in front of the Makhachkala synagogue was killed and the Derbent synagogue was set on fire.

Lazar did not know the identity of the terrorist organization, but he knew they were Islamic fanatics from the Muslim region of Dagestan, but did not live in the cities attacked. He said locals had insulted them as being less than animals.

Lazar expresses his condolences to the Russian Christian community

“The local population is shocked. That’s not who they are,” said Lazar. “They are people who don’t want us to live in peace.”

Lazar, who is also chairman of the Commonwealth of Independent States Rabbis’ Alliance, expressed his condolences and support for the Russian Christian community following the terrorist attack. Christians suffered from the loss of Kotelnikov and the damage to churches in Derbent and Makhachkala. Jews suffered from the destruction of their holy site, the rabbi said, and Muslims also suffered because radicals misrepresented them.

A view of the Derbent Synagogue after an attack by gunmen and a fire in Derbent in Dagestan region, Russia, June 24, 2024. (SOURCE: HEAD OF DAGESTAN REGION SERGEI MELIKOV, VIA TELEGRAM/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

“The interfaith friendship in Russia is unique. The Russian Orthodox Patriarch, the Grand Mufti of Russia and I often meet and work together on projects,” said Lazar.

The mayor of Derbent and the governor of Dagestan had visited the destroyed synagogue and promised to help rebuild it. Lazar acknowledged their support for the Jewish community as well as the “incredible” support of the local population.

“I was there at the opening of the synagogue – it was a celebration for the whole city,” Lazar recalled. He explained that Jews had lived in the region for centuries and were a very integrated population.

In general, said Lazar, there has been “no anti-Semitism in recent years” in the Russian Federation, especially in comparison to the increasing anti-Semitism in Europe.

“People can walk around freely with their kippah and tzitzit without being harassed,” the rabbi said.

There is sometimes anti-Semitism on social media, but nothing significant offline, he claimed. The Jewish community has the full support of the government, but added that the incident in Dagestan was disturbing and possibly a sign of a larger problem.

In the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala, a mob also stormed the airport in October in search of Jews. Lazar said he recently spoke to officials about the incident. While some might say the incident was anti-Israel, there is no point in distinguishing between Jews and Israel in this matter, and even if one could say the incident was motivated by anti-Israel hostility, such radicals would find another reason to hunt Jews tomorrow.

“Thank God they didn’t find any Jews to hurt, but they also attacked the police, security personnel and anyone who got in their way,” Lazar said.

This new attack “is a wake-up call for us that these people must be destroyed. They have no place in humanity.”

It is the government’s responsibility to combat radicalism and anti-Semitism, said Lazar. Even if the Jews of Dagestan do not want to leave, their future in the republic depends on the authorities solving these problems.

The rabbi had received calls from various Jewish communities increasing their security measures and requesting more police support. There were no immediate threats, but he noted that such acts sometimes trigger further threats.

“In general, people feel very safe and comfortable, I don’t see any panic – not even in the (Dagestan) community itself,” Lazar said.

In a message to the world’s Jewish leaders, Lazar said: “When anti-Semitism raises its head, the government must act against it, and if the government does not support us, we should be worried.”

Otherwise, the response to this terrorism should be to “double our pride in our Jewishness.”

Lazar gave the example of a Jewish man he had known for 30 years. Although he was “not yet a full believer,” he had proudly worn a kippah since the October 7 massacre in Israel. Lazar was happy about this and called on others to wear their Star of David around their necks, wear their kippahs on their heads, put mezuzot on their doors and wear tefillin not only in the synagogue but also on the street.

“We will not be terrorized or intimidated, we will not be afraid, we will stand strong and tall as Jews,” Lazar said. “(Radicals) will think twice about attacking when they see that it only makes us stronger.”



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