Ukraine’s chief rabbi published a video Thursday calling on Russia’s Jewry to speak up against Moscow’s ongoing and deadly invasion of its southern neighbor, which has now entered its eight day.
"I am a father of 11 children and I have 24 grandchildren. My uncles and aunts fought the Nazis as partisans in the forests,” said Chief Rabbi Moshe Asman, who is seen in his video holding a Torah scroll, sitting in the synagogue of the besieged Jewish village of Anteka near Kyiv.
“I call on the rabbis in Russia, the Jews in Russia, the people in Russia, with one message: Stop the war!" said Asman, who further called on the world to “stop the madness” and help prevent further needless deaths.
"Do not believe what the media tells you, you are being lied to. A war crime is taking place here. The Russian army, which defeated the Nazis in World War II, is today bombing a civilian population - in Kyiv, Kharkov and Odessa."
Asman continued to describe the grave situation in the besieged country, as well as the volunteers' efforts to help those who were short of food or medicine, adding that he would not leave his community.
"I am a rabbi in Ukraine and I am proud that I have the honor to aid and save people and be on the side of the light, instead of the side that kills," he said.
"I can no longer stay silent. I turn to you - dear Russians, dear Jews, everyone who is not indifferent. Remember that anyone who is indifferent, anyone who agrees in silence or not in silence is a partner to this crime, war crime."
The chief rabbi continued by rejecting the comparison between IDF's actions in the Palestinian territories and Russia's invasion.
"When the Israeli army bombs terrorists, it does so with accurate ammunition and is as careful as possible not to harm the civilian population. [Here] There are grads, tanks, ballistic missiles. People, wake up, I ask of you," Asman added.
One of the top figures Asman most likely hoped to reach with his video is Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar, who is a known associate of Russian president and invasion mastermind Vladimir Putin - and who in response to Asman’s video called on the world’s religious leaders to “pray for peace.”
Asman’s video was included in a letter sent Thursday to the heads of the monotheistic religions, which stated that “at the heart of every religion is the knowledge that we are all children of God, and thus, we are all brothers.”
“Although we are different people, we can have completely different views on many issues, but in one thing we must be united: our duty to our creator, and to strive with all our might for mutual understanding and respect, and in no case to swing a sword at our brothers’ neck.”
The public letter comes in tandem with efforts by Jewish communities across Russia to aid refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine.