Jerusalem – In a historic venture between Russia and Israel, Jewish leaders from around the world will join with Russian president Vladimir Putin and Israeli president Shimon Peres next week for the unveiling of a monument commemorating the Russian army’s victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. This marks President Putin’s first visit to Israel since 2005.
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The Victory Monument will be unveiled on Monday, June 25th at 11:30 AM in Netanya’s Yad Lebanim compound and will honor the millions of soldiers who were members of Russia’s Red Army, potentially among the largest armies in world history, including over 500,000 Jews. The Red Army is widely credited with having played a crucial role in the defeat of the German armed forces during World War II. Millions of members of the Red Army died during World War II, including 120,000 Jewish soldiers.
The monument had been proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on a trip to Moscow in February 2010, and Netanyahu told the media that “the memorial will express the great appreciation that we feel for the Russian people. Many Jewish Red Army veterans currently live among us, here in Israel. The memorial on the shores of Netanya will also symbolize their contribution and heroism.”
At the time, then Prime Minister Putin agreed to come to Israel for the inaugural ceremonies and the monument, which was funded by Jewish philanthropists including Keren Hayesod – United Israel Appeal and the World Forum of Russian Jewry, was designed by a Russian artist in conjunction with a committee consisting of representatives of both countries. A scale model of the monument was unveiled at Moscow’s Second World War Museum this past October.
Putin does photo opps with as many Jews as he can, so that he can keep them quiet while he insidiously pursues policies inimical to the interests of Israel, the U.S. and the free world.
It’s a mixed-up world.
We honor one of the most anti-Semitic armed-forces (of Red-Russia) together with the half-million Jewish Russian soldiers.)
Not only was Russia complicit in starting WW2 by making a secret pact with Nazi-Germany (Molotov-Ribbentrop treaty) and invading Poland from the east, but also after the war Stalin YM”S stepped-up his anti Jewish campaign (culminating with the infamous “Jewish Doctor’s plot”)!
But after all is said and done, I don’t think this monument is a bad idea. Except that I could think of better places where those Jewish philanthropists could have contributed their money…
are’nt the russians the country that backs up & supports Iran & Syria?
To #2 -Wise Guy- Your statement is astounding; the Russian people lost nearly 20,000,000 of its citizens to the Nazis. As a result, the Russians showed no mercy to captured German soldiers, on the eastern front. There were many Russian Jewish Army officers. In fact, when Berlin was conquered by the Russian Army in 1945, there were Russian Jewish soldiers who aided the surviving Jews of Berlin (over 1,000), who hid in Berlin throughout World War Two. The Russian Army also liberated Auschvitz, and executed many Nazi concentration camp commanders. Also, the Russians held German POW’s for over ten years after World War Two ended, and made them clean up the destruction, which they caused.
I wonder if Putin will bring his steak knife collection with him?
he is good to jews as i understand