“We were expecting him on Passover, but he didn’t come,” — Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi on Zelensky

For all the years of Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidency, the Central Synagogue of Kyiv has been hoping for his visit. A personalized seat in the front row has even been prepared for the president, but he has never appeared. This was revealed by Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi, Moshe Reuven Asman, in an interview with Glavcom.

According to Rabbi Asman, hopes were especially high during Passover — one of the key holidays in Judaism: “We were expecting him on Passover, but he didn’t come… We made him a seat in the front row, but — well, he couldn’t make it. I know he visited the synagogue in Kherson, but that was before the war. We are always waiting for him here.”

Rabbi Asman stated that inviting the president is not just a gesture of respect, but a desire to pray together, as is traditional — where honored guests are sometimes given the opportunity to read from the Torah.

Despite the distance in relations with official Kyiv, the rabbi speaks positively of a statement Zelensky made in 2019, when he said he wouldn’t comment on his religious beliefs but that he believes in God: “That already says a lot. I remember when he was preparing for the meeting with Putin in Paris, he first met with religious leaders. At that time, I told him: when David went against Goliath, he turned to the Almighty — and he won. Likewise, Zelensky, as far as I know, did not lose — and that already mattered.”

Rabbi Asman also recalled how, during Viktor Yushchenko’s presidency, the head of state regularly visited the synagogue, especially during Hanukkah: “He came every year, and it became a good tradition, including during the Orange Revolution.”

It is worth noting that Volodymyr Zelensky has a personalized chair in the front row of Kyiv’s Central Synagogue. This was confirmed in a media comment by the chaplain of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Rabbi Dovid Milman. The president’s chair is located in the first row, on the far right.