Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Asman met with Natan Sharansky in Israel

The Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Moshe Reuven Asman, during a trip to Israel, met with former Soviet political prisoner, Israeli statesman, and human rights activist Natan Sharansky. The rabbi shared about the meeting on his social media on July 19, 2026.

During the meeting, Moshe Asman presented Sharansky with his autobiographical book in Ukrainian “Between Miracle and Reality”. The rabbi called his interlocutor a great friend of Ukraine and emphasized that his biography has long become a symbol of the struggle for freedom, human dignity, and the right of Jews to remain faithful to their people and historical homeland.

The specific location of the meeting in Israel, its duration, and the content of the conversation were not disclosed by Asman. Therefore, for now, it can be said that it was a personal meeting and book presentation, but not negotiations or any official agreements.

A meeting of two people connected with Ukraine and Israel

“While in Israel, I met with Natan Sharansky — a former Soviet political prisoner, one of the most famous human rights activists in the world, an Israeli statesman, a laureate of numerous international awards, and a man whose courage inspired millions,” wrote Moshe Asman.

Separately, the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine reminded of Sharansky’s Ukrainian roots.

Natan Sharansky was born on January 20, 1948, in Stalino — now Donetsk. At birth, he was named Anatoly Borisovich Sharansky. After graduating from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, he applied to emigrate to Israel, but the Soviet authorities denied him on the pretext of access to classified information.

After the refusal, Sharansky became one of the most famous representatives of the Soviet Jewish refusenik movement, seeking the right to repatriate to Israel. At the same time, he joined Andrei Sakharov’s human rights movement and became one of the founders of the Moscow Helsinki Group.

He found himself at the intersection of two resistance movements against the Soviet system: the struggle for human rights and the struggle of Soviet Jews for the right to leave the USSR and return to their historical homeland.

Nine years in Soviet prisons and camps

In March 1977, Sharansky was arrested. The Soviet authorities accused him of treason and collaboration with American intelligence, despite the charges being rejected by the US government.

In 1978, he was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment, including solitary confinement and forced labor. Sharansky spent about nine years in Soviet prisons and camps.

The campaign for his release gained international scale. One of the key roles in it was played by Sharansky’s wife, Avital, who, after leaving for Israel, sought her husband’s release, met with politicians, and appealed to the global public.

On February 11, 1986, Natan Sharansky was released as part of a prisoner exchange. He was taken to East Germany, after which he crossed the Glienicke Bridge into West Berlin. On the same day, Sharansky flew to Israel and arrived in Jerusalem.

His release became one of the most famous episodes of the international struggle for the rights of Soviet Jews.

From political prisoner to Israeli minister

After repatriation, Sharansky continued the fight for the freedom of Soviet Jews and participated in organizing a mass demonstration in Washington in December 1987. The event, timed to coincide with Mikhail Gorbachev’s first visit to the US, was attended by over 250,000 people.

In Israel, Sharansky founded the party “Yisrael BaAliyah”, primarily focused on the interests of immigrants from the former USSR.

From 1996 to 2005, he held ministerial positions and the post of deputy head of government in several Israeli cabinets. Over the years, Sharansky was responsible for industry and trade, internal affairs, construction, Jerusalem affairs, and the integration of new immigrants.

From 2009 to 2018, he chaired the executive committee of the Jewish Agency — Sochnut. Among his international awards are the US Congressional Gold Medal, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Israel Prize, and the Genesis Prize.

Thus, Moshe Asman’s statement that Sharansky’s name has become a symbol of the struggle for freedom and human dignity is based not only on his prison past. After his release, he continued to engage in human rights activities, Jewish identity issues, democracy, and opposition to dictatorships.

Why Asman called Sharansky a friend of Ukraine

In a publication dated July 19, 2026, Moshe Asman separately emphasized the support that Natan Sharansky provides to Ukraine after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

“From the first days of the full-scale invasion, he consistently supports Ukraine, calls on Israel for closer cooperation with Ukraine, and participates in international humanitarian initiatives,” wrote the rabbi.

Sharansky indeed took a noticeably tougher pro-Ukrainian stance than many representatives of the Israeli political leadership.

Already in the first days after the Russian attack in February 2022, he called on Israel to take a clear moral position and side with Ukraine. In his opinion, it was not only about the Russian-Ukrainian war but also about defending the foundations of the free world from authoritarian aggression.

In the fall of 2022, Sharansky stated that Israel should provide Ukraine with weapons. He emphasized that Ukrainians are defending not only their own country but also the democratic world, which has been challenged by the Putin regime.

Trip to Kyiv and meeting with Zelensky

In October 2022, Natan Sharansky traveled to Kyiv and met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.

It was officially reported that the meeting was dedicated to the protection of universal values, security, peace, and the preservation of historical memory. In addition to Sharansky, representatives of leading Jewish organizations worldwide participated in the conversation.

During a separate conversation, Zelensky noted that Israel possesses air and missile defense technologies that are especially needed by Ukraine to protect cities from Russian attacks.

After the visit, Sharansky admitted that he felt uncomfortable due to the insufficient support for Ukraine from Israel. He called it a disgrace that by that time, Kyiv had not even been visited by an official Knesset delegation.

For the Israeli audience, this was an important statement. It was not made by a Ukrainian diplomat or a foreign politician, but by a person who holds a special place in the history of Israel and the struggle of Soviet Jews for freedom.

Ukrainian state award

On August 23, 2022, Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree awarding Natan Sharansky the Ukrainian Order of “Merit” III degree.

The decree noted that state awards are granted for significant personal contributions to strengthening interstate cooperation, supporting the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as for promoting Ukraine in the world.

In November 2024, speaking at the Kyiv Jewish Forum, Sharansky called on Israel to build strategic cooperation with Ukraine.

He drew attention to the fact that Russia and Iran have already formed close military-political cooperation: Russian troops use Iranian strike drones against Ukraine, and Russian weapons end up with terrorist organizations fighting against Israel.

In Sharansky’s opinion, Ukraine and Israel face interconnected threats, so they should cooperate much more closely on security issues.

As noted by NAnews — News of Israel, such a position is especially important against the backdrop of Jerusalem’s long-standing attempts to separate the Russian war against Ukraine, Russian-Iranian cooperation, and arms supplies to Israel’s enemies. Sharansky, on the contrary, consistently views these processes as parts of a single struggle of democracies against authoritarian and terrorist regimes.

Humanitarian initiatives in support of Ukraine

Moshe Asman’s words about Sharansky’s participation in humanitarian initiatives also have concrete confirmation.

On February 24, 2025, Natan Sharansky became one of the organizers of a special event at the Peres Center in Tel Aviv, dedicated to the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The meeting was attended by more than 40 representatives of 21 organizations that helped Ukrainians. Among them were the Jewish Agency, United Hatzalah, HIAS, Hillel, NATAL, and other structures engaged in medical, psychological, and humanitarian assistance.

Sharansky also served on the leadership of the Genesis Prize Foundation, which in 2023 recognized Jewish activists and organizations that supported Ukraine’s independence and helped people affected by the war.

The book “Between Miracle and Reality”

During the current meeting, Moshe Asman presented Sharansky with his book “Between Miracle and Reality”.

The rabbi announced the autobiographical book in Ukrainian on April 28, 2026. According to Asman, it is not the first book he has written, but it is the most personal.

In it, he talks about his life journey, faith, family, service to the Jewish community, unexpected meetings, trials, and events that shaped his worldview. A separate place in the book is occupied by the war, helping people, and the life of the Jewish community in Ukraine under Russian attacks.

Previously, NAnews — News of Israel reported that the book can be perceived not only as the biography of a religious leader but also as a testimony to the history of Jewish Ukraine — from the Soviet past and the revival of religious life to the full-scale war.

The presentation of this book to Natan Sharansky has special symbolic significance.

Sharansky went through Soviet prisons for the right of Jews to live freely and return to Israel. Asman, after the start of the full-scale war, remained in Ukraine, engages in humanitarian aid, supports the military, and represents Ukrainian Jewry to the Israeli and international audience.

Asman invited Sharansky to visit Ukraine again

Concluding the publication, Moshe Asman reminded that Natan Sharansky has already visited Ukraine several times and expressed hope for his new visit.

“Natan Sharansky has already been to Ukraine more than once, but we eagerly await him again,” wrote the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine.

Neither the date nor the possible format of the new trip is mentioned yet. However, the meeting in Israel itself was another reminder of the people connecting the two countries not only through diplomatic relations but also through personal history.

One of the participants in this meeting was born in Donetsk, became a prisoner of the Soviet dictatorship, achieved freedom, and built a new life in Israel. The other represents the Jewish community of a country that today defends its own freedom from Russian aggression.

Therefore, the photograph of Moshe Asman and Natan Sharansky with the book “Between Miracle and Reality” is more than a protocol photo. It is a meeting of two biographies united by Jewish history, Ukraine, Israel, and the conviction that freedom must be defended.