THE SECURITY FOUNDATION OF THE RUSSIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY
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The recent months have been marked by a sharp increase of anti-Semitic and ultra-nationalist incidents in Russia. An unstable political situation coupled with a worsening economic and social climate has led Russian nationalist leaders - and many ordinary Russians who heed to those leaders - to blame Jews for society's ills. Various groups that subscribe to the ideas of political extremism are on the rise. Jews have become the major target of the hate propaganda espoused by lawmakers in Parliament, in the mass media and at mass rallies. Anti-Semitism is being employed by both the political left - represented by the Communist Party and its allies - and by far-right groups such as the neo-Nazi Russian National Unity movement. Anti-Jewish rhetoric is coming from the mouth of politicians and public figures of various rank. At times, such statements contain direct messages urging to physically exterminate Jews. We can but regret that Russian government officials have repeatedly demonstrated impermissible indifference toward that hate propaganda, putting a blind eye on anti-Semitic attacks and verbal abuse of Jews. At times we hear informal comments from one or two public officials but we, as Russian citizens and Jews, feel that no one in the establishment has been firm enough in condemning contemporary Russian anti-Semitism in any of its form. There is no wonder that having sensed that they can go unpunished in Russia, anti-Semites of all shades cast off all restraint. It is particularly disturbing that under the influence of hate propaganda and official tolerance for it some extremists more often resort to violence destroying Russian Jewish religious and cultural heritage and threatening the very physical existence of Jews. Just recently we experienced shock after two bomb blasts occurred near two Moscow synagogues May 1. July 13, a Moscow Jewish leader was attacked inside the city's main shul. A 20-year-old man, wearing a large swastika on his chest and screaming anti-Semitic slogans, entered the Moscow Choral Synagogue, just few blocks away from Kremlin, and repeatedly stabbed Leopold Kaimovsky, 52, director of the Jewish Arts Center. The attacker revealed to the police later that he planned to set the synagogue on fire. The assailant who was given much print and air in the Russian media from his jail cell described his attack as a "political act" against the "evil" of Judaism. It is alarming to the Jewish community that the authorities failed to respond in an unequivocal manner to this and the earlier anti-Semitic incidents. Another cause for our concern is the silence of prominent Russian politicians and political parties in the Russian Federation. We attribute this silence to nothing but their erroneous understanding of political expediency in advance of the upcoming Russian parliamentary and presidential elections. The failure of Russian political elite to respond to the recent manifestations of anti-Semitism - including the act of open anti-Semitic violence against a member of our community - is indicative of climate unfavorable to Jews in today's Russian society. Yet despite this atmosphere Russian Jews do not panic and most of them - we believe - are committed to continue live and work in this country. However, the recent events have shown that the Jewish community of Russia can rely on itself only when it comes to the issues of providing security measures to its institutions including community centers, synagogues, schools, yeshivot, summer camps both in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia. With this in mind, the Jewish community has set up the Security Foundation of the Russian Jewish Community whose aim is to accumulate funds - including donations from our Jewish brethren in Russia, Israel and the Diaspora communities - to provide up-to-date security to our constituents. To those who are willing to render their support to the cause, below are banking details of the Security Foundation of the Russian Jewish Community. The foundation will provide quarterly reports on funds accumulated and corresponding expenditures. |
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| Beneficiary payable: |
Charity Fund "Russian Jewish Congress" C/o Security Foundation of the Russian Jewish Community Account number: 40703840800010000049 Beneficiary bank: Credit-Moscow Bank SWIFT: CRMO RU MM Corresponding bank: Account number: 890-0057-033 The Bank Of New York New York, NY USA SWIFT: IRVT US 3N |
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The account of the Russian Jewish Congress is being
used by the Foundation temporarily until the registration
of the Foundation according to Russian legislation is
completed. |
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| Moscow
Choral Synagogue B.Spasoglinischevsky Per.10 Moscow - RUSSIA |
Tel: (095) 923 4788 Fax:(095) 956 7540 E-mail: jsfund@chat.ru |
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