As Russian President Boris Yeltsin underwent heart surgery, Moscow Jews were praying for his health.
A special prayer for Yeltsin’s health was introduced in Moscow’s Choral Synagogue two months ago, after the 65-year-old president confirmed that he would undergo a heart operation.
Jews prayed for the success of Tuesday’s bypass operation in the city’s three synagogues.
“Those who could not attend the service called the synagogue asking us to pray in their name,” said Berel Lazar, rabbi of the Marina Roscha Synagogue.
“It is accepted in the Jewish communities to pray for people’s health, but this was a special occasion,” he said. “Praying for [Yeltsin’s] health, we prayed for our future, for democracy and freedom of religion.”
Most Russian Jews backed Yeltsin in the summer election.
“Every Jew in this country prayed for Yeltsin’s health either in the formal Jewish way or informally,” said Moscow Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt.
An international group of doctors declared Tuesday’s operation a success.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
