Antisemitism in Russia
is expressed in acts of hostility against
Jews in Russia
and the promotion of antisemitic views in the
Russian Federation
. This article covers the events since the
dissolution of the Soviet Union
. Previous time periods are covered in the articles
Antisemitism in the Russian Empire
and
Antisemitism in the Soviet Union
.
[1]
Since the early 2000s, levels of antisemitism in Russia have been low, and steadily decreasing.
[2]
[3]
The President of the
Russian Jewish Congress
attributes this in part to the vanished state sponsorship of antisemitism after the Soviet collapse. At the same time experts warn that worsening economic conditions may lead to the surge of
xenophobia
and antisemitism in particular.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
The
collapse of the USSR
and the
economic crisis
that followed, the massive impoverishment of large sections of the population, the rapid enrichment of a small group of people and the criticism of the
previously dominant ideology
contributed to widespread antisemitic sentiment in Russia.
[5]
During the 1990s, antisemitism was an enduring undercurrent and source of anxiety, its presence affirmed by easily accessible antisemitic newspapers and other publications, street or popular antisemitism.
[1]
Mass publication of antisemitic materials in the media began, including books such as
Adolf Hitler
's
Mein Kampf
,
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
,
Douglas Reed
's
The Dispute about Zion
,
The Prince of this World
,
The Protocols of the Soviet Wise Men
by Grigory Klimov,
Dezionization
by
Valery Yemelyanov
, and others.
The number of antisemitic incidents rose sharply after the
1998 Russian financial crisis
, the
devaluation
of the
ruble
and the ensuing economic hardships affecting a broad segment of the general population.
[1]
"
Russian March
" in 2012 in Moscow. An anti-Semitic poster against the background of flags with a nationalist and
neopagan
symbol "
Kolovrat
". The poster reads: "Rus' without a
Vozhd
is like
zhyds
without a Talmud."
High-profile antisemitic voices have included several
Russian Communist
public figures such as
Nikolai Kondratenko
, a former governor of
Krasnodar Krai
. He claimed the
Kremlin
was controlled by Jews and Zionists, to blame for the demise of the
Soviet Communist Party
, the
Chechen conflict
and other problems. He formed an alliance with local
Cossacks
and was said to believe that an
international Jewish conspiracy
rules the world.
[6]
Other high-profile figures have included deputies of the
State Duma
from the
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
, such as
Albert Makashov
and
Viktor Ilyukhin
. In November 1998, the State Duma considered and rejected a measure to denounce Makashov. In late December 1998,
Gennady Zyuganov
, leader of the Russian Communist Party, was under pressure to publicly censure the bigoted statements of his
comrades
and did indeed denounce antisemitism, but at the same time labeled
Zionism
"a blood relative of fascism".
[7]
The ideology of
Russian neo-Nazism
is closely connected with the ideology of
Slavic neopaganism (Rodnoverie)
. In a number of cases, there are also organizational ties between neo-Nazis and neopagans. One of the founders of Russian neo-paganism, the former Soviet dissident
Alexey Dobrovolsky
(pagan name ? Dobroslav) shared the ideas of neo-Nazism and transferred them to his neopagan teaching.
According to the historian Roman Shizhensky, Dobrovolsky took the idea of the
swastika
from the work of the Nazi ideologist
Herman Wirth
(the first head of the
Ahnenerbe
).
The eight-beam "
kolovrat
", consisting of two swastikas superimposed on each other, is considered in Slavic neopaganism to be the ancient Slavic sign of the Sun. In 1996, Dobrovolsky declared it a symbol of an uncompromising "national liberation struggle" against the "
Zhyd yoke
". According to Dobrovolsky, the meaning of the "kolovrat" completely coincides with the meaning of the
Nazi swastika (Hakenkreuz)
.
Since the mid-2000s, incorporation of antisemitic discourse into the platforms and speeches of nationalist political movements in Russia has been reported by human rights monitors in Russia as well as in the press. Antisemitic slogans and rhetoric in public demonstrations are frequently reported, most of them attributed to nationalist parties and political groups such as "Rusoslav Orthodox". The late member of the Duma
Vladimir Zhirinovsky
was known for antisemitic speeches.
[1]
In 2001, 98
United States Senators
penned a letter to
President Putin
, expressing concern about popular antisemitism, radical extremists (such as former Klansman and Grand Wizard
David Duke
) in the Russian Federation.
[11]
In January 2005, a group of twenty members of the Duma published a statement accusing Jews of being anti-Christian, inhumane, committing ritual murder and that "the entire democratic world today is under the financial and political control of international Jewry".
[1]
On 9 June 2005, Russian Orthodox Patriarch
Alexei II
addressed the international conference of the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
in
Cordoba
,
Spain
, to declare that the
Russian Orthodox Church
shares concerns over "incidents of antisemitism, xenophobia and other forms of racism". He described antisemitism, as "one of the more radical expression of misanthropy and racism", and said its perpetrators included "public figures, publicists, and the leaders of radical organizations".
[12]
For example, at the 23 February 2006 rally celebrating the
Soviet
Defenders of the Fatherland Day
, a yearly tribute to war veterans, according to the newspaper Kommersant, marchers flourished signs with messages including "
Zhyds
! Stop drinking Russian blood!", "White State!", and "Russian Government for Russia".
[13]
In May 2014, Russian President
Vladimir Putin
signed a law that made it illegal to
deny the Holocaust
and
other Nazi war crimes
. It also made the portrayal of Nazis as heroes a criminal offence.
[14]
In 2019, Ilya Yablogov wrote that many Russians were keen on antisemitic conspiracy theories in the 1990s, but it declined after 2000 and many high-ranking officials were forced to apologize for the antisemitic behavior.
[15]
The 2019
Pew Research
poll found that 18% of Russians held unfavorable views of Jews, the number has dropped from 34% in 2009.
[16]
During the onset of the
Russo?Ukrainian War
since 2014, and especially since the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
in 2022, some Russian officials were accused of using antisemitism in the form of unsubstantiated
Nazi comparisons
in their hostile rhetoric against Ukraine.
[17]
[18]
2023 anti-Jewish unrest in the North Caucasus
[
edit
]
Due to the
Israel?Hamas war
in October 2023,
antisemitic demonstrations and attacks against Jewish institutions sharply increased
in the
North Caucasus
region. A large crowd in the city of Khasavyurt besieged and raided a hotel, unsuccessfully searching for Jews. In addition, an arsonist set a Jewish cultural center in
Nalchik
on fire.
[19]
On 29 October, around 500 protesters stormed a hotel in
Khasavyurt
shouting that "Jews are not allowed here" after rumours had been spread that Israeli refugees were residing there. Russian police intervened and permit some of the protesters to enter the hotel to confirm that there were no Israeli nationals present. A sign was then placed at the entrance, declaring that "Entry for Israeli citizens is strictly prohibited."
On the same day, October 29, a mob stormed
Uytash Airport
after a plane had landed from Tel Aviv. The passengers could not leave the plane for several hours after the protesters surrounded the plane, with some people even climbing it.
[20]
20 people were injured, among them nine police officers, of whom two were injured seriously.
[21]
[22]
150 suspects were identified and the airport announced its closure until 6 November, but reopened the next day.
[23]
[24]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Demonstration around the time of the
1998 crisis
. One sign calls for
Nemtsov
(murdered in 2015) and
Chubais
to be put on trial, and another says "Make soap of
Zionists
!"
Nemtsov and Chubais are both of Jewish origin.
-
Graffiti in
Moscow
modeled after the leaflets distributed before the
Babyn Yar
massacre, 2013.
It calls on Jews to attend the opening of the exhibition "Russia for all" and bring with them documents, valuables, and food for two days.
-
Graffiti in
Terletsky park
in Moscow, "Down with
Zhyds
' rule"
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Anti-Semitism in Russia. Russian disinformation and inspiration of anti-Semitism ? Fundacja INFO OPS Polska"
(in Polish). 24 June 2020
. Retrieved
2020-06-25
.
- ^
В Москве представлен отчет об антисемитизме в 2014 году
Москва, 13 Февраля 2015, 21:46 ? REGNUM
- ^
Президент ФЕОР: Россия ? "остров спокойствия" на фоне Западной Европы
11:0007.11.2014 (обновлено: 11:42 07.11.2014)
- ^
"≪Еврейский вопрос≫ в России утратил прежнюю остроту"
- ^
Anti-Semitism in the 1990s?2000s
- article from the
Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia
- ^
Georgy Lesskis, "A chauvinist at the Helm in Krasnodar", Diagnosis, December 1997 p.2
- ^
Washington Post, November 8, 1998
- ^
"Jews in Former Soviet Union: Senate Letter Expresses Concern About Russian Anti-Semitism"
.
Jewish Virtual Library
.
NCSJ
. Retrieved
September 5,
2015
.
- ^
Russia ? Patriarch Alexei II Denounces Antisemitism", Coordinating Forum for Countering Antisemitism, June 9, 2005.
- ^
“Antisemites Rally in Moscow; Police Stand By,” UCSJ, Bigotry Monitor, Volume 6, Number 9, March 3, 2006, citing Kommersant, February 26, 2006.
- ^
"Holocaust Deniers in Russia Now Face Five Years in Prison Reuters"
.
Ford
. Reuters. 5 May 2014
. Retrieved
13 May
2022
.
- ^
Ilya Yablokov
[in Russian]
(2019-10-21).
"Anti-Jewish Conspiracy Theories in Putin's Russia"
(PDF)
.
Antisemitism Studies
.
3
(2). Indiana University Press: 291?316.
doi
:
10.2979/antistud.3.2.05
.
JSTOR
10.2979/antistud.3.2.05
.
S2CID
208619530
. Retrieved
2022-02-26
.
- ^
"European Public Opinion Three Decades After the Fall of Communism ? 6. Minority groups"
.
Pew Research Center
. 14 October 2019.
- ^
Blank, Stephen (2021-11-18).
"Russia Plays the Antisemitic Card in Ukraine"
.
Center for European Policy Analysis
. Retrieved
2022-05-12
.
- ^
McAuley, James (2022-05-11).
"New U.S. antisemitism envoy takes on Putin's distortions about Ukraine"
.
Washington Post
.
ISSN
0190-8286
. Retrieved
2022-05-12
.
- ^
"
'Entry to Citizens of Israel Strictly Forbidden': Antisemitism Growing in Russian Regions"
.
Algemeiner Journal
. October 29, 2023
. Retrieved
October 29,
2023
.
- ^
"Dagestan: Mob storms Russian airport in search of Jews"
.
Yahoo News
. 2023-10-30
. Retrieved
2023-10-30
.
- ^
"В аэропорту Махачкалы из-за прилета рейса из Тель-Авива собрались сотни людей. Они проверяют машины, выезжающие с территории"
.
Meduza
(in Russian).
Archived
from the original on 29 October 2023
. Retrieved
29 October
2023
.
- ^
"МВД установило 150 активных участников беспорядков в аэропорту Махачкалы"
.
Коммерсантъ
(in Russian). 2023-10-30
. Retrieved
2023-10-30
.
- ^
"Mob storms Dagestan airport in search of Jewish passengers from Israel"
.
The Guardian
. 29 October 2023.
Archived
from the original on 30 October 2023
. Retrieved
30 October
2023
.
- ^
"Аэропорт Махачкалы возобновил прием и отправку рейсов"
.
Коммерсантъ
(in Russian). 2023-10-30
. Retrieved
2023-10-30
.
Sources
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Core topics
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Antisemitism and
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Related topics
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Religious antisemitism
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Antisemitic laws, policies
and government actions
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Antisemitic websites
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Persecution
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Organizations working
against antisemitism
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By region
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