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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Bethan McKernan and Quique Kierszenbaum in Jerusalem

‘It’s driven by fear’: Ukrainians and Russians with Jewish roots flee to Israel

Israel Russia Vladimir Putin Jewish Agency Quique Kierszenbaum Grisha Jerusalem Moscow Observer
Gershon Luxemburg rests his arms on boxing ring ropes and points at boxers with helmets
Uzbekistan-born Gershon Luxemburg runs the Jerusalem boxing club where both Jews and Arabs train. Photograph: Quique Kierszenbaum/The Observer

A visit to Jerusalem’s only boxing club is like stepping into the past: the former bomb shelter in a working-class neighbourhood of Jerusalem is a riot of old-school paraphernalia, and a CD of 1970s disco provides the soundtrack for training sessions.

This is the kingdom of Gershon Luxemburg, better known as Grisha, a fit 78-year-old who barks instructions while chewing menthol gum. Born in Uzbekistan, the former Russian champion came to Israel as a young man; today he trains many new Russian-speaking émigrés.

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