Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, is greeted by Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar in Moscow, June 13, 2013. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Images)
For the Kremlin, the interfaith roundtable last Thursday at Kazan’s Hall of Culture provided the perfect propaganda moment.
Before the meeting, dozens of journalists snapped pictures of Russian Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar posing alongside the mufti and archpriest of Tatarstan — a predominately Muslim state with its capital, Kazan, 800 miles east of Moscow.
Set up by the local government and the Limmud FSU Jewish group, the event kicked off celebrations of the completion of renovations at a local synagogue, which the …read more
Source: JTA
