“It is very important that there should be communities and yeshivot where Russian Jews can represent “ikar” – the core, the essence. Others can join them because Russian Jews have a very rich heritage to offer the Jewish world. It is important for Russian Jews to know and understand this.”
“When we used to see Russian Jews, we would always feel a little bit ashamed. We had thought that this branch had dried out, died out…. 3 generations and almost 70 years without Torah! But today, when we see these new sprouts growing in Jerusalem, we understand that we were wrong. When we see new leaves it means that the whole branch has always been and is currently alive.”
“For the last several years I have been very involved in the projects of Russian speaking Jews in Jerusalem, and I see an urgent need to help them build their own synagogue where every Russian speaking family will feel comfortable, understanding the language and unique culture of their community. Today I feel the urgency of this issue – to develop the Russian speaking community.”
