“The Russian government uses the Jewish community to justify the war against Ukraine,” — Rabbi Goldschmidt, former Chief Rabbi of Moscow; unfortunately, the leaders of the Jewish community in Russia are forced to support this narrative.

In an interviewIsrael Hayom (Hebrew) on January 25, 2026, Pinchas Goldschmidt, former Chief Rabbi of Moscow and President of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), describes in detail how the war against Ukraine has changed the very logic of the existence of the Jewish community in Russia. According to him, it is under the conditions of war that the political use of the Jewish theme has become especially noticeable — and especially dangerous.

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, former Chief Rabbi of Moscow, refused to support the war against Ukraine, was forced to flee, and was declared a “foreign agent” in Russia.

War and Propaganda: The Jewish Theme in the State Narrative

Goldschmidt emphasizes that this is not about isolated episodes, but about systemic policy. In the interview, he formulates it directly and without mitigating phrases:

“The government uses the Jewish community for political purposes. In recent years, a theory has been promoted in Russia about the return of neo-Nazism in Ukraine and the Baltic countries, so the war in the Russian narrative is presented as a continuation of the war against Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, the leaders of the Jewish community in Russia support this story — they use the community for propaganda purposes.”

According to the rabbi, such a construction allows the authorities to present the war not as a modern political conflict, but as a morally justified continuation of historical struggle. The memory of World War II and the Holocaust becomes part of the rhetorical toolkit, rather than a subject of honest historical conversation.

From Community Revival to State Control

Goldschmidt recalls that in the 1990s the situation looked different. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Jewish life in Russia began to revive practically from scratch. In 1996, the Russian Jewish Congress was created, which united the remaining Jewish elite and became the basis for the development of schools, yeshivas, community, and charitable institutions.

This period, according to him, was a time of cautious autonomy and hope. However, with the arrival of Putin to power, the situation began to gradually change.

“With Putin’s rise to power in 2000, the situation gradually changed,” says Goldschmidt. “He set the condition that major businessmen would not interfere in politics, and over time we saw that Russia was turning into a dictatorship.”

Interference in Jewish Life as the Norm

As the power vertical strengthened, state interference in the life of the Jewish community ceased to be an exception and became a routine practice.

“Interference in Jewish life became commonplace — the government determined who could be the chief rabbi and who could not, and expelled dozens of rabbis from the country,” he says.

Goldschmidt links this to a broader process of returning to the logic of power structures and the ideology of a closed state:

“With Putin’s arrival, power returns to the heirs of the KGB, and hatred of foreigners and the West becomes an integral part of the personality of people who grew up in this society.”

Fear of Repeating History

A separate place in the interview is occupied by the topic of anti-Semitism as a tool of self-defense for the authorities in crisis moments. Goldschmidt emphasizes that this is not a theoretical concern, but a historically confirmed mechanism.

“The fear is that when the government in Russia is under threat, it uses anti-Semitism for self-defense. We have seen this before — at the end of the tsarist era, the government said: ‘Don’t be angry at the tsar, be angry at the Jews,’ and this led to pogroms. This also happened at the end of the Stalin era.”

According to him, the current rhetoric and isolation of the country create conditions under which such a scenario becomes possible again.

Isolation of Russia and Its Consequences for Jews

Goldschmidt directly links the increase in tension with the international isolation of Russia, which intensified after the start of the war against Ukraine.

“Today Russia is in isolation,” he says. “Putin thought he would win in Ukraine in three days, and next month we will mark four years of war — more than the war between Russia and Nazi Germany. He isolated himself from the West.”

This isolation, the rabbi emphasizes, directly affects the position of Jews within the country.

“In the Soviet Union, Jews were isolated, they were not allowed to contact relatives in Israel or the West. Now this is happening again. When everything outside of Russia is considered unacceptable, the discourse regarding Jews boils down to questioning their loyalty to the state. Anti-Semitism is increasing, and it has become more difficult to be officially Jewish.”

Personal Choice and the Price of Refusal

Goldschmidt’s refusal in 2022 to publicly support the war became a logical continuation of his position — and at the same time a personal breaking point with Russia. Fearing for his life, he was forced to leave the country, and later was declared a “foreign agent.”

Today, 35 years after the collapse of the USSR, he publishes the book “Memories of Moscow,” in which he sums up an entire era — from the hopes of the late 1980s to the current state of isolation, fear, and narrowing space for Jewish life.

His advice to Russian Jews is formulated as directly as possible: for those who have the opportunity, it is better to build their future outside of Russia — including in Israel or other countries. According to his estimate, since the beginning of the war, about 100,000 Jews have already left the country, and the overwhelming majority of them do not consider returning.

The picture he describes is bleak and without illusions. The future of Russian Jewry is contraction, poverty, and loneliness. Communities are losing influence, resources, and people. Financial support for synagogues and community centers is already declining: people donate less and less because they understand — there is no long-term future for them there. This is not an emotional conclusion, but a cold calculation dictated by the reality of recent years.

Europe, the USA, and Israel: A Rift Affecting Jewish Communities

A separate concern for Pinchas Goldschmidt is the growing rift between Europe and the USA — and the place Israel occupies in this divide. According to him, this is not about private disagreements, but about a systemic clash of political approaches, the consequences of which are directly felt by Jewish communities in Europe.

“Today there is a clash between Europe and the USA in six areas: world order, support for the far-right, restrictions on social networks, NATO, Ukraine, and Greenland. In all these areas, Israel is on the American side, and this distancing does not benefit the Jews,” says Goldschmidt.

He emphasizes that for decades, American influence served as a protective factor for European Jews. The weakening of this role makes communities more vulnerable and opens up space for the revision of historical memory.

According to the rabbi, the weakening of the global influence of the USA directly affects the Jews:

“For decades, Jews knew they could trust the USA. But their isolation from the world reduces the ability to influence what is happening — and this harms the Jews and Israel.”

Between Extreme Poles

Goldschmidt also talks about the rise of the far-right in Europe. If the far-left increasingly become openly anti-Israel, then part of the far-right demonstrates a pro-Israel position, creating a dangerous ambiguity for Jewish communities.

“Jewish communities do not want to be involved in these political disputes,” he emphasizes.

Goldschmidt explains the risk directly:

“For the far-right, Jewish communities become a ‘kosher document’: if Jews contact them, they cannot be accused of anti-Semitism.”

The Disappearance of Moderate Partners

According to him, the situation is exacerbated by the fact that traditional moderate left-wing parties in Europe, which once supported Israel, are gradually moving to anti-Israel positions.

“Once, social democrats supported Israel. Today, a significant part of these parties has moved to the anti-Israel side,” he says.

This leads to a situation where the dialogue with European leftists is increasingly conducted not by Israel and Jewish communities, but by Palestinians, Arab countries, and Iran — and it is their views that are gradually becoming dominant.

Conclusion

Pinchas Goldschmidt’s interview with Israel Hayom is not journalism or a political manifesto. It is an attempt to capture the moment when the Jewish community in Russia found itself between historical memory and modern propaganda, between fear and loyalty, between the past and an uncertain future.

This is why this conversation is important not only for Russia but also for Israel and Europe. It remains part of the agenda of NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency, where the war is considered not only as a military conflict but also as a crisis of meaning, memory, and responsibility.