Russian Lawmakers: Outlaw All Jewish Organizations

June 26, 2005

“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, which 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.”

With Putin attending events 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.”

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.”

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.”

By Steve Gutterman, Jerusalem Post

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