Gaza Hostage Meets With Russian President
The Trufanov family, who are staying for Passover as guests of the Jewish community I’m Moscow on behalf the invitation of the Chief Rabbi of Russia and his family, were scheduled for a special meeting in the office of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Joseph-Alexander Trufanov, who was released from Gaza about a month and a half ago, and the rest of his family, who were also released over a year ago, thanked the president for his efforts to secure their release, and expressed their request for continued assistance for the release of the remaining hostages still being held in Gaza.
The members of the Trufanov family, along with hundreds of others, attended a large public service held on the night of Passover by the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, who since his captivity has been in constant contact with all parties and has assisted them throughout the process, including their family members living in Russia.
During the meeting with Putin, which was also attended by the President of the Union of Communities in Russia, Rabbi Alexander Barda, the president was interested to know about their situation and expressed satisfaction with their release and the activities of the Jewish community in Russia on behalf of the Trufanov family.
The mother, Mrs. Yelena, said in her remarks: “First of all, I would like to thank you personally and the entire Russian government for the efforts made for our release. I know that our release – my mother and I – at the end of November 2023 was thanks to your efforts; When I was released and found out that my husband had been killed that day, and my only son, who was also my mother’s only grandson, was in captivity, a very difficult time began for me, and all this time I was supported by Rabbi Lazar and the Russian ambassador to Israel, and I understood that everything possible was being done so that my son Sasha would be released. And here he is. Very soon it will be eighty years since the end of World War II, in which my grandmother, Sasha’s great-grandmother, who was a military doctor, was also wounded during the fighting, was captured by the Nazis, managed to escape and ended the war in a partisan unit in Belarus. That is, Sasha is already the fourth generation in our family to be taken prisoner. I hope that this is where our story with captivity ends.”
Putin responded: “Thank God. You really have a serious family history. Your family has a direct connection to the Great Patriotic War and its victorious end. Sasha, once again, I congratulate you on your reunion with your family and fiance.”
The rabbi of Russia said in his remarks: “I am reminding our first meeting on the issue of the family Gaza, where you promised to do everything possible. Following that, I told Mother Yelena that now we just have to pray to God, and she did pray a lot, she revealed her faith in God and knew that you were making great efforts for her son, and in her time of difficulties, your support was very important.”
Putin responded: “We really did everything that was possible, we tried. Well, thanks to God, we managed to do it in your case.”
Photo: Kremlin
