Russian president Vladimir Putin is considered many things: a war criminalย andย a dictator, on one hand; a strong ruthless leader on the other. Jewishness is not something he is oft accused of, but Lebanonโsย As-Safirย which is closely associated with the Syrian regime, and Hezbollah ran an article by Sami Kleib Tuesday entitled โPutinโs Jewishness, does it benefit the Arabs and Syria?โ
The article alleges that Russia under Putin enjoys close strategic relations with the Jewish state. โNo Russian or Soviet president has offered more to Israel than Putin,โ the article read in its opening paragraph. To this end, Kleib cites frequent visits to Moscow by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and military sales between the two countries.
But Kleib goes even farther in his attempt to prove Putinโs supposed Jewishness. โSome novels on Putin say he lived in a Jewish neighborhood when he was young,โ wrote Kleib. Other outlets have reported on the Jews in Putinโs life too.
On whether Putinโs good relations with Jews in Russia, Eastern Europe and Israel will benefit the Arabs, Kleib suggests Russia play a larger role in mediating between Israel and โthe resistance,โ referring to Hezbollah, Iran, Syria and others who oppose Israelโs existence.
Otherย ย websites claim that Putin’s mother whose maiden name wasย Shelomova was Jewish. In a Jewish household, the wife and mother is called in Hebrewย akeret habayit. This means literally the โmainstayโ of the home. Inย Jewish law, if a person’sย motherย isย Jewish, then the person isย Jewish.
Agencies
Leave a Reply