Posted on 07/13/2005 12:34:21 PM PDT by Wiz
Jewish leaders in Russia said Tuesday that anti-Semitism and xenophobia were persistent in Russian society and they criticized law enforcement officials for not doing more to punish nationalist crimes.
Borukh Gorin, spokesman for the Federation of Russia's Jewish Organizations, said an investigation by prosecutors into whether an ancient Jewish religious text was inciting religious hatred "was a sign of a serious illness of our society."
Last week, prosecutors dropped the inquiry into whether the Russian translation of a 19th century summary of Jewish religious laws called Kitsur Shulhan Arukh provoked religious hatred. The inquiry had been prompted by a complaint by two nationalist activists.
The issue of the translation arose in January, when 19 lawmakers signed a letter that accused Jews of fomenting ethnic hatred and anti-Semitism and asked prosecutors to conduct an investigation aimed at outlawing Jewish organizations.
Prosecutors later, on behalf of activists, investigated whether the letter itself incited ethnic hatred, but concluded it did not.
Gorin said that xenophobia in Russia was directed not only against Jews, but also against non-Slavic people, especially those from Central Asian countries and other dark-skinned migrants, who face severe discrimination.
"This is not just a wave of anti-Semitism. There are very dangerous xenophobic tendencies in Russia," Gorin said. "National hatred is high in Russian society."
Many experts believe the rise in xenophobia has its roots in Russia's economic problems, which resulted in high unemployment, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, which sent large numbers of job-seeking migrants from poorer former Soviet republics to Russia.
Alexandr Boroda, chairman of Federation of Russia's Jewish Organizations, said law enforcement officials should do more to combat nationalist crimes.
"Until there is a clear-cut connection between action and punishment and until others see what such actions can lead to, I am afraid we will be seeing similar phenomena," Boroda said.
Many rights groups accuse Russian leaders of remaining silent in the face of rising xenophobia and anti-Semitism, pointing to the occasional desecration of Jewish cemeteries and the growing frequency of skinhead attacks against dark-skinned foreigners.
ping
Soviet Union once had a law that banned antismetism with death by hanging as a penalty.
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
ping
"Until there is a clear-cut connection between action and punishment and until others see what such actions can lead to, I am afraid we will be seeing similar phenomena," Boroda said.
...
This is the thinking that should be employed not only with anti-semitism, but all forms of terrorism (and apathy towards racism - i.e. not helping or preventing when you can). Unfortunately, it looks like their government and media are equally effective in dealing with it (not).
..................
Good one.
Third Rome messanism is a major breeding ground for racism and hatred of all religions besides the Russian controlled portion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. [Some Non Russian controlled Eastern Orthodox Christians, of course, have been known to suggest that the Russian controlled faction may not even be a legitimate part of Orthodoxy].
How convenient, blame the jews. Its time for them to move to Israel.
"Gorin said that xenophobia in Russia was directed not only against Jews"
The Kremlin has a long history of hatred for loads of groups - Ukrainians, Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, - totaling 100 million genocidal deaths from the 19th century thru the 20th.
The Kremlin must atone for its past befor it can find a place in the future.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.