Russia’s Chief Rabbi Offers to Mediate Conflict

As the war in Ukraine nears the seventh day, Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, says he stands “ready to do anything I can to stop the bombs.”

As the war in Ukraine rages on, Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, called on fellow religious leaders in Ukraine, Russia, Europe, to join forces to stop the chaos and prevent further loss of life.

In a statement on Wednesday, Rabbi Lazar says he stands ready to do anything he can to stop the bombs:

We are all children of One G-d – this concept is the foundation of any religion. That means we are all brothers and sisters. True, being different people, we may have completely different, even opposing, views on various issues. However, one belief we should all share: that our duty to G-d is to strive with all our might for mutual understanding and respect, and in no case to raise a sword against our brother! 

One of the mainstays of monotheism is the belief that any conflict can and should be resolved peacefully. 

In our Holy Scriptures, one of the names of G-d is Shalom, which means “peace”. Peace is the objective that G-d sets for us daily, as we repeat several times a day in our prayers. Today’s reality, regretfully, is far from it: every day we receive news from our co-religionists, from the rabbis of Ukraine on what is going on there.

We feel the pain of our brothers, regardless of their faith. I urge everyone to pray for peace, but prayer alone is not enough. Now G-d expects every believer to do everything in their power to save human lives. Personally, I am ready for any mediation, ready to do anything I can and beyond to silence the guns and to stop the bombs. However, now is the time for joint action.

Therefore, I appeal to all religious leaders in Ukraine, Russia, Europe, and other continents to join forces for peace. We, loyal to One G-d alone, should use all our influence, all our power to stop the chaos and prevent further casualties. This is our sacred duty to the One Who created us all and gave us life in this world. Let’s do it, and G-d will surely help us!