The message reads, in part:
“This holiday has a special ethical meaning and takes an important place in the Jewish religious calendar. It symbolises the sacred memory of the immortal feat of the Red Army soldiers and officers who defeated Nazism and saved the Jewish people and other peoples of Europe and the world from total annihilation.
I am sure that large-scale, ceremonial celebrations of the Day of Salvation and Liberation will continue to help preserve the spiritual, historical and cultural traditions of the Russian Jews, to improve accord and mutual understanding between people, and promote imperishable humane ideals and values in society, especially among young people. It will facilitate the consolidation of efforts to counteract all forms of anti-Semitism, attempts to falsify historical truth and justify the crimes of the Nazis and their collaborators.
And, of course, the warmest and most sincere greetings go to the veterans who made a great personal contribution to the Great Victory.”