The exiled chief rabbi of Moscow, finally free to share his story, joins us in London.

From the bleak Soviet Union to the historic renaissance of Judaism to the current collapse of Russian society; Moscow’s chief rabbi for almost three decades, joins us in London, finally free to share his story.

Now exiled in Israel, Pinchas Goldschmidt’s tenure ended abruptly in 2022 when he spoke out against Putin’s war against Ukraine, resigned, and recommended that all Jews leave the country.

His memoir tells of the flourishing of a Jewish community at the very heart of a land that for centuries was committed to its destruction. He sheds light on run-ins with secret service agents; the influence of oligarchs on the capital’s Jewish community; and local antisemitism always simmering beneath the surface.

This event will last approximately 1 hour, without an interval. 

About the speakers:

Pinchas Goldschmidt (born 21 July 1963) has been the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Russia, since 1993, serving at the Moscow Choral Synagogue. He also founded and headed the Moscow Rabbinical Court of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) since 1989.

Since 2011 he has served as President of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), which unites over seven hundred communal rabbis from Dublin to Vladivostok.

Adam LeBor is the thriller critic of the Financial Times and a veteran former foreign correspondent who lived in Budapest for many years. He is the author of seven novels and eight non-fiction books, including Hitler’s Secret Bankers, which was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and City of Oranges which was shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize. He is an editorial trainer and writing coach for numerous publications and organisations and also writes for the Critic and The Times. He lives in London with his family.