Israel on Monday criticized Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for claiming that Adolf Hitler was of Jewish descent, saying it was an “unforgivable” lie that underestimated the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust. In a message of sharp deterioration in relations with Moscow, the Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador and apologized. “Such lies are intended to accuse the Jews themselves of the most heinous crimes in history committed against them,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement. “The use of the Jewish people’s Holocaust for political purposes must stop immediately,” he added. Lavrov made the claim on Italian television on Sunday when asked why Russia said it should “seek out” Ukraine if President Volodymyr Zelensky himself was a Jew. “When they say, ‘What kind of Nazism is this if we are Jews?’ “For a long time we have been hearing the wise Jewish people say that the greatest anti-Semites are the Jews themselves,” he added. Speaking at a news conference in Windsor, Ond., Today, Prime Minister Justin Trinto described Lavrov’s comments as “ridiculous and unacceptable.” The fact that Russia, as we have seen, is circulating misinformation and misinformation has reached a point where it should no longer surprise us. But what the Russian Foreign Minister just said is unbelievable, and so are Canada and the right-thinking countries around the world, and Canadians and all those who resist the horror of the Holocaust and the tremendous rise in hate crime, whether it is anti-Semitism or anti-Semitism. “Islamophobia or racism against blacks, we must stand more and more strongly condemning Russia’s ridiculous and unacceptable positions, even when we are against Ukraine.” Dani Dayan, president of the Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, said the Russian minister’s remarks were “an insult and a serious blow to the victims of true Nazism.” Speaking on Kan radio, Diane said Lavrov was spreading “an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory with no basis in fact.” The identity of one of Hitler’s grandparents is unknown, but there has been some speculation, which was never substantiated, that he may have been a Jew. There was no immediate response from the Russian embassy in Israel or from Lavrov in Moscow. Kyiv condemned Lavrov’s words, saying his “hateful comments” were offensive to Zelensky, Israel, Ukraine and the Jews. “More broadly, they prove that Russia today is full of hatred towards other nations,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said on Twitter. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yair Lapid, whose grandfather died in the Holocaust, said accusing Jews of being anti-Semitic was “the most blatant level of racism.” He also denied Lavrov’s claim that pro-Nazi elements dominate the Ukrainian government and army. “Ukrainians are not Nazis. “Only the Nazis were Nazis and only they faced the systematic destruction of the Jewish people,” Lapid told the YNet news website. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trinto on Monday denounced Lavrov’s comments, saying they were “ridiculous and unacceptable.” A German government spokesman said the idea that Hitler had a Jewish heritage was “irrational” propaganda. Israel has repeatedly expressed its support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February. However, cautious about strained relations with Russia, a powerful mediator in neighboring Syria, has initially avoided direct criticism in Moscow and has not imposed formal sanctions on Russian oligarchs. However, relations have become more tense, with Lapid last month accusing Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian president also confronted Israel, trying to draw parallels between the conflict in his country and World War II. In a speech to the Israeli parliament in March, Zelensky compared the Russian invasion of Ukraine to Nazi Germany’s plan to kill all Jews it had access to during World War II. Yad Vashem called his comments “irresponsible”, saying they were “insignificant” in the history of the Holocaust. – with a file from Marieke Walsh. The Morning and Afternoon Newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
