INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
With online posts in Hebrew and appeals to Jews to "cry out" in response to Russia's invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has
that he had an "ordinary..
Jewish upbringing," explaining "most Jewish families in the Soviet Union were not religious."He has also described religion as a personal
matter and even swore his presidential oath on the Bible.But since Russia's invasion began on February 24, Zelensky has made explicit
reference to Judaism in stirring social media posts seeking to rally support for Ukraine.On Wednesday, a day after a Russian attack on
for millions of Jews around the world not to stay silent in the face of such sights
Israel many times and said he has family there, reached out again to Jews.He told a news conference he was grateful for "a beautiful picture
public referencing of his Judaism amid an unprecedented crisis is not just a tactic to rally Jewish goodwill, experts and a prominent
secret of his Jewishness and he is not a Jew who is looking for some other identity," Sharansky told AFP.Sharansky, who has spoken to
Zelensky's chief-of-staff in recent days, was born in Ukraine and helped spark the Glasnost reforms that presaged the downfall of the Soviet
history who faced death for standing up to autocracy, but said the Ukrainian president's Judaism may prove to have broader implications,
including as a counter to rising anti-Semitism
to overcome many prejudices," he said.David and GoliathLisa Maurice, a senior lecturer in the classical studies department at Bar Ilan
University near Tel Aviv, told AFP she saw signs of Jewish influence in Zelensky's public posture, including his social media posts
We are always the little guy against the big guy," she said, clarifying that her comments apply to Jewish historical narratives, not
but because it is the right thing to do
said Zelensky's "leadership is resonating..
to the New Yorker magazine and the New York Times, tweeted.
