Zhirinovsky: "I Am Not Anti-Semite!"
According to NEWS (C.I.S.), the famous controversial 'good time lover' politician, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, today vice-speaker of the Duma (Parliament), objected to the notion that he is an anti-Semite.
In the past, many people all over the world condemned his anti-Semitism. (He also praised Arab dictators such as Sadam Hussein!). The great spiritual leader in Moscow, Rabbi Berel Lazar (Habad) defined this Russian leader as, "...a disgrace to the entire Russian Parliament."
Recently, a miracle took place: Zhirinovsky expressed repentance in a letter to Rabbi Lazar, Chief Rabbi of Russia, a 'repentance Tsadik.' In the letter he expressed his solidarity with the Holocaust victims. Like others in his national camp, he tends to deny the Holocaust as a Zionist hoax. He now loves the Jewish people.
He also admitted that his father was Jewish, a known fact to scholars. The father, or Lieberman, was also a member of Jewish organizations.
In the letter, Zhirinovsky also retracted "all anti-Semitic statements that were offensively spread through the Russian media," and wrote, "In the name of my party, I accept full responsibility for ensuring that our country will always adhere to basic principles of human rights, precluding all manifestations of nationalism or anti-Semitism."
Rabbi Lazar accepted the letter with great doubt. Nonetheless, he stated that he hoped it signified an ideological change within the Russian nationalist movement. "This incident only serves to demonstrate that we must never, under any circumstances, ignore outbreaks of anti-Semitism. Taking an adamant stand in this regard is crucial for the well-being and safety of all Jews, everywhere."
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