Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Isaac Herzog discussed the closure of the Jewish Agency in Russia in a phone call on Tuesday, officials from both countries confirmed.
Russia has moved to dissolve the Agency's Russian arm, which promotes emigration to Israel. The Kremlin said Russia's Justice Ministry had requested the "dissolution" of the Jewish Agency because of unspecified legal violations and the affair should not be "politicized".
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Isaac Herzog
(Photo: Reuters, Yonatan Zindel)
Some Israeli officials, however, have seen this as retribution for Israel's criticism of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine, as well as an attempt to slow a brain drain from Russia.
According to Herzog's office, during the call the president "elaborated on the activities of the Jewish Agency in Russia," while the two also discussed bi-literal relations.
"The phone call was frank and honest. The two leaders emphasized the important areas of cooperation between Israel and Russia and agreed to remain in contact," said the statement.
The statement added that Putin "underscored his personal commitment to Holocaust commemoration and the fight against antisemitism."
Herzog's office said the call was made at the request of Prime Minister Yair Lapid and in coordination with the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Herzog served as the head of the Jewish Agency from 2018 to 2021.
The agency, established in 1929, played a key role in the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. It began working in Russia in 1989, two years before the end of the Soviet Union, after which hundreds of thousands of Jews from all over the USSR left for Israel.