DISINFO: World Jewish Congress recognizes Crimea as Russian
SUMMARY
During the World Jewish Congress gathering in New York, Crimea was recognized as part of Russia. The proof – Rabbi Volf’s conference badge which read Sevastopol, Russia.
RESPONSE
The gathering Rabbi Volf called a World Jewish Congress was in fact the International Conference of Schluchim 2017 held this November in New York. This is an annual gathering of Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic rabbinic emissaries and communal leaders and has absolutely nothing to do with the World Jewish Congress. The photograph that Vesti cameras pan over is the traditional photo participants take every year outside the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters in Crown Height, Brooklyn. The organizers of the conference told StopFake that no decisions were taken regarding Crimea at the conference. “Certainly no political declarations were made regarding Crimea” said Motti Seligson, media director at Chabad. Ukrainian Jewish leaders issued a statement saying that Chabad leaders informed them that no one at the conference had or ever would discuss Crimea with Rabbi Volf. His conference badge reading Crimea, Russia, is a technical glitch and does not reflect any official Chabad position. Further debunking by StopFake.