Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, who serves as Moscow's chief rabbi and chairman of the European Rabbinical Conference, recently left Russia, handing over his powers to his deputy, Israel Today has learned.
The decision to leave Russia was made against the background of the war in Ukraine, as well as the crisis between Israel and Russia and the statements of Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, which led to a wave of rumors as to the reason for leaving, although it is not known whether there is a connection.
Various telegram channels reported that Rabbi Goldschmidt left the country due to the war in Ukraine, but there is no official source for this.
In a conversation with "Israel Today", Rabbi Goldschmidt said that he returned to Israel to dine with his ailing father, and claimed that there was no connection to his departure from the country for the war.
"I came to Israel to help my sick father."
In a letter to his congregation in Russia, Rabbi Goldschmidt stated that "I would like to inform you that due to my father's illness and hospitalization, I need to be by his side because he needs relief and concern from his relatives. I will continue to serve as chairman of the Rabbinical Court of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic States. "
Rabbi Goldschmidt said he had transferred all his powers to his deputy, and that he did not know when he would return to the country.
"If I were God I would know," he said, referring to his ailing father.
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