Mother, daughter skipped crashed Russia flight for Judaism seminar

A Jewish woman and her daughter who had tickets for a flight that crashed near Moscow skipped it to extend their participation in a Jewish studies course, they said.

Taliya Samanina and her eldest daughter Malka were scheduled to return on Sunday from the Russian capital to their home city of Orsk aboard a Saratov Airlines Flight 703, which crashed shortly after taking off, killing all 71 passengers and crew members, the Col website reported.

They had come to Moscow from Orsk, located about 1,600 kilometers east of the capital, over the weekend to attend a seminar on Jewish studies organized by the Yachad organization and the Chaya Mushka Institute, both belonging to the framework of the Chabad-affiliated Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.

Rabbi Mendy Wilansky, head of the Yachad special programs platform, asked the women to stay the entire weekend so they could participate in a guided tour of the Moscow Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, which was built in 2012. The women agreed and Wilansky’s office made the necessary changes to their travel itinerary, the report said.

Rabbi Berel Lazar said that the Jewish community grieves along with the rest of Russia for the crash victims. The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia is not aware of any Jews who died in the crash. (JTA)