Yuri Foreman was in the 2008 movie 'Fighting' cast as 'Russian Fighter Yuri'. Very effective scene. He thrashes the main character until he slips on the floor and knocks himself out on a water fountain. Not a bad movie overall.
The only way Russians could get out of the Soviet Union was if they were 'Jewish'. I use quotation marks because many Russian Jews had suspect credentials. Another movie, 'Lord of War', had Nickolas Cage playing a Russian Gentile arms dealer whose family was able to move to Coney Island only because they pretended to be Jewish (based on a true story).
In Israeli Russian districts there are butcher shops which proudly advertise their pork products. One million Russians immigrated to Israel. It is believed about half weren't Jewish in any sense. The euphemism Gentile Russians would use is 'I'm part Jewish'.
At least one high ranking member of the Russian Jewish Mob wasn't Jewish, but was able to bribe his way into Israeli citizenship to avoid criminal prosecution in Russia.
That Yuri is studying to become a rabbi suggests he is indeed Jewish. But who knows? Max Baer wasn't Jewish but is still counted as such by various sources. Baer knew a good thing when he saw it, appealing to a particularly lucrative market demographic, and went from being Scotch-Irish to Jewish. Maybe Yuri has a similar idea. The 'Fighting Rabbi' or some such.
Overall the Russians, Jewish or 'part-Jewish', are well regarded in Israel. They're tough, smart, athletic and good looking. A sort of Aryan upgrade.
Oh, did you know Zab Judah is Jewish? Yeah, right. Actually he's a member of a bizarre black cult known as the Black Hebrew Israelites. Some have moved to Israel and the government there has been trying for years to deport them. Not to be confused with the Five Percenters, who are a sort of bizarre black cult of supposed Muslims.
