80 Years Since the War: Moscow’s Jewish Community Marks Victory Day

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80 Years Since the War: Moscow’s Jewish Community Marks Victory Day

The Jewish community in Moscow marked Victory Day (May 9) with a series of meaningful and emotional events, commemorating 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany. The focus was on honoring Jewish war veterans—many now elderly and frail—through home visits, tefillin-laying, and increased support services • Full Story, Photos

One of the most moving moments came when Isaac Wilensky, a Jewish veteran over 100 years old who served four consecutive years in the war, celebrated his Bar Mitzvah for the first time in his life. Surrounded by community members and with the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, at his side, Wilensky put on tefillin and shared his powerful life story in an emotional and historic moment.

“This day,” said Rabbi Lazar in a heartfelt letter to veterans, “is not only about military victory. It is also a day to thank G-d that the Nazi ideology—an ideology of hatred and genocide—was defeated. We Jews were its first victims, but if the Nazi empire had not been stopped, others would have met the same fate.”

He continued: “Most of us were born after the war. But we live because the soldiers of the Red Army and the Allied forces sacrificed their lives to defeat fascism. They saved not only those in the camps—but us, the descendants of those survivors.”

Across Russia, the government marked the 80th anniversary with grand events, including the iconic military parade on Red Square. The Jewish community marked the occasion in its own way, led by the Shaarei Tzedek Jewish Charity Center in Moscow’s Marina Roscha neighborhood, and in collaboration with the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, under the leadership of Rabbi Alexander Boroda.

Volunteers—including dozens of students from the local Mesivta – visited every known Jewish veteran, delivering special gift packages and offering help, continuing the ongoing support provided year-round by the Shaarei Tzedek Center.

Rabbi Lazar himself visited many veterans personally, expressing the gratitude of the Jewish people for their sacrifices. This year’s commemorations not only honored the past, but also highlighted the ongoing Jewish presence, pride, and resilience in Russia.

Photo credit: Levi Nazarov