CNN Anchor Jake Tapper has shared details of his trip to Ukraine in April, amid the Russian special operation there, recalling namely that he had a chance to gift a box of matzah, one of the necessary components for celebrating Passover, to Volodymyr Zelensky during an interview with him. The latter presumably welcomed the gift despite being preoccupied with other matters at the time.
Talking to Stephen Colbert on his "The Late Show", Tapper, who like Zelensky is Jewish, also noted that he had to celebrate Passover alone and away from home during the two-week trip to Ukraine. And, to his great surprise, Tapper managed to find a local orthodox rabbi, who hooked him up on all the supplies necessary for the Passover Seder, including matzah.
"Believe it or not, there is a local Orthodox rabbi. There is one everywhere. When they land on Mars, there’s going to be a [Chabad] Lubavitcher rabbi," Tapper confided with Colbert, referring to the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement that supports and helps Jews, including secularised ones, around the world.
Tapper later admitted he was not sure if Zelensky himself observes the traditional Jewish rituals, where he would need matzah, but noted that he nonetheless thanked him for the gift.