Russian lawmakers: Ban Jewish Groups

Russian lawmakers: Ban Jewish groups

Source:Russia
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=2635

Associated Press via THE JERUSALEM POST
25 January 2005

A group of nationalist lawmakers is calling for an investigation aimed at
outlawing all Jewish organizations in Russia, accusing Jews of inciting
ethnic
hatred and provoking anti-Semitism.

In a letter dated January 13, about 20 members of the lower parliament
house,
the State Duma, asked Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov to investigate
their claims and, if they are confirmed, to launch proceedings "on the
prohibition
in our country of all religious and ethnic Jewish organizations as
extremist."

Arguing that Jews were to blame for anti-Semitism, the authors of the letter
want Jewish groups outlawed based on legislation against extremism and
fomenting ethnic discord.

"The negative assessments by Russian patriots of the qualities and actions
against non-Jews that are typical of Jews correspond to the truth, indeed
these
actions are not random but prescribed in Judaism and have been practiced for
two centuries," says the letter, faxed in part to The Associated Press by
the
office of lawmaker Alexander Krutov.

"Thus," it says, "the statements and publications against Jews that have
incriminated patriots are self-defense, which is not always stylistically
correct
but is justified in essence".

The stunning call to ban all Jewish groups comes amid concerns of persistent
anti-Semitism that continues to plague Russia. Jewish leaders have praised
President Vladimir Putin's government for encouraging religious tolerance,
but
rights groups accuse the authorities of failing to adequately prosecute the
perpetrators of anti-Semitic and racial violence.

Russia's chief rabbi, Berel Lazar, said the lawmakers were either insane or
"quite sane but limitlessly cynical" and were hoping to win support "by
playing
the anti-Semitic card."

Speaking with Israel Radio, Lazar called on Russia's chief prosecutor to
move
to expel the legislators from the parliament since, he said, they were
acting
against all religions and were harming Russia.

"Everyone who read this letter surely understood that something irregular
had
taken place. It is a known fact that there are those in parliament who
posses
these views. However, it has been a while since an anti-Jewish theme has
been
raised, and suddenly everyone is talking about it", Lazar told the radio.

According to the rabbi, "The timing was not coincidental and was made on the
same day in which the UN commemorated 60 years since the liberation of Nazi
death camps. President Putin is slated to visit Auschwitz in the near future
and
they probably wanted to express their objection to the upcoming visit by
sending this letter."

With Putin planning to join events this week commemorating the liberation of
Auschwitz by Soviet troops, Russia's Holocaust Foundation head Alla Gerber
said it was "horrible that as we're marking the 60th anniversary of this
tragic
and great day ... we can speak of the danger of fascism in the countries
that
defeated fascism."

She said that while the Russian state itself is no longer anti-Semitic,
there
are "anti-Semitic campaigns that are led by all sorts of organizations."

"The economic situation is ripe for this, an enemy is needed, and the enemy
is well-known, traditional," Gerber said.

Responding to the lawmakers' letter, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said on
Israel Radio that the Israeli government "will act on every level to combat
this. We do not let any group or country live peacefully with phenomena like
these."

"There is a large international call to arms against anti-Semitic incidents
anywhere in the world. To my great sorrow, these incidents have been
happening
a lot lately, but we have to fight anti-Semitism anywhere it is."

Echoing anti-Semitic tracts of the Czarist era, the letter's authors accuse
Jews of working against the interests of the countries where they live and
of
monopolizing power worldwide. They say the United States "has become an
instrument for achieving the global aims of Judaism."

"It is possible to say that the entire democratic world today is under the
monetary and political control of international Judaism, which high-profile
bankers are openly proud of," the letter says.

Along with outlawing Jewish organizations, the lawmakers call for the
prosecution of "individuals responsible for providing these groups with
state and
municipal property, privileges and state financing."

The prosecutor general's office could not immediately be reached for comment
on the letter, which the Interfax news agency said was signed by lawmakers
from the nationalist Rodina and Liberal Democratic parties as well as the
Communist Party.