Chabad’s Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar attended the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Sochi, Russia last Friday night at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin after Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) had already begun, arguably desecrating the letter of Jewish law and almost certainly desecrating its spirit.
Chabad’s Chief Rabbi Of Russia Attends Olympics On Shabbat
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Chabad’s Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar attended the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Sochi, Russia last Friday night at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin after Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) had already begun, Ma’ariv reported yesterday, arguably desecrating the letter of Jewish law and almost certainly desecrating its spirit.
"I know that the rabbi was invited by President Putin," an aide to Lazar told Ma’ariv, hastening to claim that Lazar did not violate Shabbat law because “the rabbi did not bring [carry] anything." Lazar also "has rabbis that he consulted with” before making the decision to accept Putin’s invitation, the aide added, and boasted that "not only was he there, he sat with world leaders.”
Lazar’s camp also pointed to synagogues that had been built with government help to serve attendees and athletes at the Olympics as another reason Lazar was right to attend the Friday night ceremony.
Chabad officials and Jewish groups in Europe were asked by Ma’ariv about Lazar’s behavior and refused to comment on the record.
But off the record, all those contacted reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with Lazar’s actions. Chabad hasidim who know the details of the story have reportedly expressed anger at the incident, as well, noting that Lazar "crossed the line.”
[Hat Tip: Burich.]