According to Berl Lazar, he "has no right to give advice" to the head of the Foreign Ministry, but expressed the wish that Lavrov apologize for his words about the Jewish people and Hitler. According to the rabbi, this would have smoothed the situation, and extinguished the sharpness of the public reaction to the incident.
“It would be nice if he apologized to the Jews and simply admitted his mistake”, - RBC quotes the words of the rabbi, citing the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Earlier, in an interview with the Italian television company Mediaset, answering journalists' questions about the meaning of the "denazification" of Ukraine, which is ruled by a Jewish president, Lavrov suggested that Adolf Hitler had Jewish roots. He added that "the most ardent anti-Semites are, as a rule, Jews".
Lavrov's interview sparked outrage among Jews around the world. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called Lavrov's remarks "an unforgivable and outrageous statement, as well as a terrible historical mistake".
He stressed that the allegations against Jews of anti-Semitism represent "the lowest level of racism against Jews".
Lapid also demanded an apology from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In connection with this, the country's authorities summoned Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.