Reacting to the news of the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said:
“The World Jewish Congress mourns the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, a great statesman, an advocate for freedom and human rights, and a true friend of the Jewish people who through his actions enabled countless Soviet Jews to return to their heritage. I extend my deepest condolences to his family.”