Russia Labels Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt A “Foreign Agent”

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt departed from Russia during the early stages of the Ukraine invasion, but his opposition to the invasion led to Russia labeling him a “foreign agent.”

Goldschmidt, 59, who served as a rabbi in Moscow from 1993 until 2022, is now residing in Israel and urging Russian Jews to follow his lead and leave the country “before it’s too late.”

“The face of Russia has undergone a transformation,” Goldschmidt stated in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. “I implore the Jewish community to depart before it becomes too dangerous.”

While Russia has designated him a “foreign agent” due to his opposition to Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine war, Goldschmidt maintains that he is the first religious leader to receive such a designation in Russia.

“I am proud to stand on the right side of history and be counted among those who oppose an unjustified military operation and the harm inflicted upon innocent people,” Goldschmidt affirmed to the Post.

“For three decades, I have nurtured and protected the Jewish community in Moscow, and no decree will prevent me from continuing to do so,” he added.

Goldschmidt’s consistent stance against Russia since the onset of the war is noteworthy.

“We are witnessing a rise in antisemitism as Russia reverts to a new form of the Soviet Union, and gradually, the Iron Curtain is descending once again,” he stated in January, according to the report. “That is why I believe that leaving is the best course of action for Russian Jews.”

“Throughout Russian history, whenever the political system faced threats, the government attempted to redirect the anger and dissatisfaction of the masses towards the Jewish community,” Goldschmidt explained.

{Matzav.com}