january 31,
2006
Anti-Semitism on the Rise in Russia?
Eight Jews were wounded a few weeks ago at Moscow's Chabad Synagogue by a knife-wielding attacker described in one press account as an “alienated young loner.” The attack led to a flurry of news reports over fears that hate crimes are growing in Russia.
Yes, anti-Semitism has a long history in Russia. I personally visited a burned down synagogue in the ‘90s with Moscow’s Chief Rabbi, Berel Lazar. It was a terrible experience.
But is anti-Semitism rising now? I’m inclined to think it is not.
It’s hard to say that without it being misconstrued as unsympathetic to the plight of the world’s Jews, which I certainly am not, so let me explain. This is more about how Russia appears to western eyes.
I filed stories from Moscow almost 15 years ago on what looked then to be the “rise” of Russian fascism and anti-Semitism. And while the fascists and the Nazis still march in Moscow, their window of opportunity for becoming a significant force in Russia closed long ago.
Moscow is a large city with, unfortunately, more than the normal allotment of psychologically challenged (my kids would say “messed up”) people. I remember talking to a Muscovite--I wasn’t sure if it was a man or a woman until he said that “Jewish doctors had stolen” his masculinity through sinister experiments. You can always find fodder for stories on the “rise” of all manner of social weirdness. Russia is a place where a reporter should not necessarily believe their own eyes.
I am inclined to believe this recent Interfax poll, which says the number of Russian citizens who disapprove of anti-Semitism grew by 10 percent last year.
Following the synagogue incident, Interfax says “the percentage of Russians who hold a negative attitude (toward) anti-Semitism has risen from 34 percent to 42 percent.
Most importantly, Only seven percent said they distrusted or had a negative attitude toward Jews.
That’s great news.
