Russian culture

[Emily Tall]

Thanks very much! Is the whole report on line? If not, can you tell me how to
 get
it? Thanks, Emily Tall

Lindsey Taxman wrote:

> Regarding the Russian Orthodox Church, the Union of Councils for Soviet
> Jews (UCSJ) recently published a new report which details rising
> antisemitism in Russia.  Thre is an extensive chapter on the Russian
> Orthodox Church and how they contribute to rising antisemitism.  This would
> definitely be considered an outside source if you are still in need of
> information on the ROC.
>
> The URL is below in the press release that I have attached.
>
> Thanks,
> Lindsey Paige Taxman
> UCSJ National Outreach Director
>
> Union of Councils for Soviet Jews
> 1819 H Street, NW Suite 230 Washington, DC 20006
> (202) 775-9770  Fax (202) 775-9776
> E-mail ucsj at ucsj.com http://www.fsumonitor.com
>
> DECEMBER 16, 1999
> Contact: Gideon Aronoff (ext. 15)
>
> Press Release
>
> NEW REPORT ON ANTISEMITISM, XENOPHOBIA AND RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN RUSSIA'S
> REGIONS ISSUED TODAY
> Elie Wiesel, Government, Academic, Russian Religious and Rights Leaders
> Highlight Importance of Report
>
> Just days before the December 19th parliamentary elections in Russia, the
> Union of Councils for Soviet Jews (UCSJ) today issued a new report on the
> increasing problems of antisemitism, xenophobia and religious persecution in
> Russia that concludes, "Not only do Jews face specific dangers through
> incidents of antisemitism, but an infrastructure of antisemitism - at the
> grassroots and official levels - is taking hold throughout much of the
> country, influenced by communist, neo-Nazi, Russian Orthodox and other
> sources of antisemitic activity.  These forces act with complete impunity.b &"
>
> After reviewing a pre-publication copy of UCSJ's report "Antisemitism,
> Xenophobia and Religious Persecution in Russia's Regions: 1998-1999" Nobel
> Laureate Elie Wiesel said, "Antisemitism in various parts of the former
> Soviet Union has been gaining ground.  This is dangerous, and this is the
> substance of this report.  Obviously the newly won democracy in those
> countries has not succeeded in educating their populations on the perils of
> racial and religious hatred directed towards the Jews.   The situation has
> become serious, and human rights organizations as well as governments must
> intervene on behalf of tomorrow's possible Jewish victims."
>
> The report, including 62 regional chapters and five brief synthesizing
> essays, documents, in detail for the first time, threats to Jews and other
> religious and ethnic minorities in the vast territory of the Russian
> Federation, and is being released exclusively online at www.FSUMonitor.com.
> Copies are available at: http://www.FSUMonitor.com/99report/index.shtml.
>
> Other pre-publication reactions to "Antisemitism, Xenophobia and Religious
> Persecution in Russia's Regions: 1998-1999" include the following.  [Full
> quotations and contact information attached at the end of this release.]
>
> "In documenting rising antisemitic trends, as well as other manifestations of
> religious persecution across the Russian regions, UCSJ's latest monitoring
> report breaks important new ground. This achievement is a valuable and
> practical contribution to the Clinton Administration's work to advance
> religious freedom worldwide." Rabbi David Saperstein (Washington, DC),
> Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Rabbi Saperstein
> is also Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious
> Freedom.
>
> "I think that UCSJ's report on monitoring antisemitism is objective and
> extremely important due to the fact that our mutual goal is precisely to
> fight that negative phenomenonb &As our wise forefathers used to say,
> 'knowledge of an illness is already half the treatment.'" Chabad Lubavitch
> Rabbi Beril Lazar (Moscow), Chief Rabbi of FEOR (Federation of Jewish
> Communities of Russia), a federation of more than 200 large and small,
> religious and secular Jewish communities across Russia.
>
> "Therefore, the thorough monitoring of all forms of xenophobia, including
> antisemitism, conducted by UCSJ is of great importance today, when extremist
> and fascist attitudes are so strong."  Ludmilla Alexeeva (Moscow), Chair of
> the Moscow Helsinki Group and President of the International Helsinki
> Federation.
>
> "This excellent, well-documented study demonstrates that the process of
> Nazification of Weimar Russia has accelerated dramatically in the last 18
> months." Semyon Reznik (Washington, DC), author of The Nazification of
> Russia: Anti-Semitism in the Post-Soviet Era.
>
> "The new UCSJ report on antisemitism, xenophobia, and religious persecution
> in Russia's regions is an invaluable source of information and analysis for
> everyone concerned about the future of Russia and of the world."  Stephen
> Shenfield (Providence, RI), Assistant Professor (Research) at Brown
> University's Watson Institute for International Studies, and author of the
> forthcoming book, Russian Fascism: Traditions, Tendencies, and Movements.
>
> "It helps to further the establishment of a genuine civil society in our
> countryb &UCSJ has made a great contribution to religious freedom in Russia."
> Father Gleb Yakunin (Moscow), former Prisoner of Conscience, Chairman of the
> Public Committee for the Defense of Freedom of Conscience, and member of the
> Moscow Helsinki Group.
>
> "While Jews now have more freedom to practice their religion than in the dark
> days of the Soviet period, today, more than ever, Jews and other minorities
> in Russia face a dangerous and complex web of antisemitic, fascist and other
> extremist forces," declared Yosef Abramowitz, UCSJ's president.  "These
> elements, both inside regional and national governmental structures and in
> grassroots social, political and religious organizations, express hate-filled
> rhetoric and even perpetrate violent hate-crimes that place Jews and Russia's
> democratic future in grave jeopardy."
>
> In announcing the results of the year-long monitoring effort, Micah Naftalin,
> UCSJ's national director, said, "We and our colleagues in Russia applaud
> recent statements by Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister
> Vladimir Putin seeking information on the problem of antisemitism and
> pledging to lead the struggle to end this sadly common blight in Russia's
> history.   But words without deeds are insufficient.  UCSJ's report provides
> the roadmap to hate in Russia's increasingly independent provinces and a
> challenge to Russian and Western leaders to make concrete action on
> antisemitism and related issues a top policy priority."
>
> Specific recommendations in UCSJ's report include:
>
> For the Russian Government:
>
> B  Through the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Security Service
> (FSB), vigorously investigate and prosecute antisemitic and extremist
> organizations and individuals, and incidents of hate crimes, under the
> currently existing law prohibiting the incitement of ethnic or religious
> hatred (Article 282 of the Criminal Code).  Redirect FSB resources currently
> being used to investigate and prosecute environmental scientists and
> journalist towards the crucial task of fighting extremism.
>
> B  Utilize all available resources to encourage the Duma to enact the draft
> law "On Political Extremism" to bolster the Article 282-based efforts to
> confront antisemitic extremism.  Repudiate the 1997 law on religion and
> introduce legislation in the Duma to restore full freedom of religion in
> Russia.
>
> B  Dismiss Russian federal officials in regional and/or municipal offices who
> collaborate with, or are tolerant of, extremist groups and individuals.
>
> For the United States Government:
>
> B  Enhance the status of human rights and antisemitism issues on the formal
> agenda of bilateral meetings between Russia and the United States and support
> the inclusion of strong human rights considerations in guidelines for the
> approval of new loans or other forms of bilateral and multilateral
> assistance.
>
> B  Urge the Russian government to take legal action against antisemitic
> extremist groups and individuals, encourage the Duma to pass a strong law
> against extremism and to repudiate the 1997 law on religion.
>
> B  Continue to provide a strong humanitarian response to the problem of
> refugees in the former Soviet Union - including vulnerable religious
> minorities like Jews and Evangelical Christians - through a generous US
> refugee admissions program.
>
> UCSJ is a grassroots Jewish human rights organization with monitoring bureaus
> in Russia and six other countries of the former Soviet Union that has
> monitored and reported on antisemitism and other violations of human rights
> for 30 years.  UCSJ and its affiliated local councils across the United
> States act in partnership with indigenous activists and NGOs in the former
> Soviet Union, promoting human rights, democracy, rule of law and pluralism,
> and assisting emerging Jewish communities with humanitarian, cultural and
> educational assistance.
>
> Of the seven "courageous" activists honored on December 9, 1999 by the New
> York-based International League for Human Rights, two have close ties to
> UCSJ.  Yevgeny Zhovtis, whose office was burned by arsonists in November, is
> director of UCSJ's human rights bureau in Almaty, Kazakhstan.  Yuri Schmidt,
> attorney for environmental activist Aleksandr Nikitin, on trial for blowing
> the whistle on nuclear contamination in the North Sea, is a board member of
> UCSJ's bureau in St. Petersburg, the Harold and Selma Light Center for Human
> Rights Advocacy, administered by UCSJ San Francisco affiliate Bay Area
> Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal.  UCSJ, the Belonna Foundation, Amnesty
> International and the Sierra Club coordinate the advocacy campaign in the
> U.S. on behalf of Nikitin.
>
> - ### -
>  Reactions to UCSJ's new report, "Antisemitism, Xenophobia and Religious
> Persecution in Russia's Regions: 1998-1999," released December 16, 1999.
>
> 1. Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate.
>
> "Antisemitism in various parts of the former Soviet Union has been gaining
> ground.  This is dangerous, and this is the substance of this report.
> Obviously the newly won democracy in those countries has not succeeded in
> educating their populations on the perils of racial and religious hatred
> directed towards the Jews.   The situation has become serious, and human
> rights organizations as well as governments must intervene on behalf of
> tomorrow's possible Jewish victims."
>
> 2.  Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform
> Judaism.  He is also Chair of the United States Commission on International
> Religious Freedom. (Washington, DC) (202) 387-2800.
>
> "In documenting rising antisemitic trends, as well as other manifestations of
> religious persecution across the Russian regions, UCSJ's latest monitoring
> report breaks important new ground.  It is especially valuable for combining
> all the strands of detailed information into a coherent whole - the
> infrastructure of xenophobic extremism that threatens not only Jews but
> minority Christian and Muslim faiths, and the Russian society at large. This
> achievement is a valuable and practical contribution to the Clinton
> Administration's work to advance religious freedom worldwide."
>
> 3.  Chabad Lubavitch Rabbi Beril Lazar, Chief Rabbi of FEOR (Federation of
> Jewish Communities of Russia).  (Moscow)  (095) 218-0001.  (FEOR is a
> federation of more than 200 large and small, religious and secular Jewish
> communities across Russia.)
>
> "I think that UCSJ's report on monitoring anti-Semitism is objective and
> extremely important due to the fact that our mutual goal is precisely to
> fight that negative phenomenon. And this goal of ours is almost impossible to
> achieve without verified information. As our wise forefathers used to say,
> 'Knowledge of an illness is already half the treatment.'"
>
> 4.  Ludmilla Alexeeva, Chair, Moscow Helsinki Group and President,
> International Helsinki Federation.  (Moscow)
>
> Xenophobia is an inherent part of every "closed" society. Hence, in light of
> the fact that Russia only recently stopped being a "closed" society, it still
> represents a very fruitful soil for all kinds of manifestations of
> xenophobia. The situation is especially problematic because Russian
> politicians deliberately kindle such lowly feelings and biased superstitions
> of the population, thus increasing the temperature of negative public opinion
> to a highly dangerous degree.  Therefore, the thorough monitoring of all
> forms of xenophobia, including antisemitism, conducted by UCSJ is of great
> importance today, when extremist and fascist attitudes are so strong."
>
> 5.  Semyon Reznik, Author of The Nazification of Russia: Anti-Semitism in the
> post-Soviet Era. (Washington, DC)  (202) 619-2232.
>
> "This excellent, well-documented study demonstrates that the process of
> Nazification of Weimar Russia has accelerated dramatically in the last 18
> months. This is the first study that covers most of the regions of the
> Russian Federation. It shows how significantly antisemitism and xenophobia
> influence the political process both on the local and federal levels, which
> is especially alarming on the eve on the parliamentary elections."
>
> 6.  Steven Shenfield, Assistant Professor (Research) at Brown University's
> Watson
> Institute for International Studies, and author of the forthcoming book
> Russian Fascism: Traditions, Tendencies, and Movements. (Providence, RI)
> (401) 863-2809
>
> "The new UCSJ report on antisemitism, xenophobia, and religious persecution
> in Russia's regions is an invaluable source of information and analysis for
> everyone concerned about the future of Russia and of the world.  The main
> emphasis of the report is on developments at the provincial level, and this
> is completely justified, because it is from the provinces that the threat to
> the values of ethnic and religious tolerance comes.  Also of great value is
> the analysis of the Russian Orthodox Church as a bastion of intolerance, an
> issue that has received too little public attention."
>
> 7.  Father Gleb Yakunin, former Prisoner of Conscience, Chairman of the
> Public Committee for the Defense of Freedom of Conscience and member of the
> Moscow Helsinki Group. (Moscow) (095) 292-3281 (Work). (095) 949-1965 (Home).
>
> "The monitoring of inter-religious and inter-ethnic relations, antisemitism
> and other forms of xenophobia in Russia has been effectively and objectively
> carried out by UCSJ within the framework of its project of monitoring human
> rights in the majority of Russia's regions.
>
> Such cooperation of Russian and American organizations helps to keep the
> international community informed about the situation in the country and aids
> in the struggle against antisemitism and other forms of political extremism
> and fascism.  It also helps to further the establishment of a genuine civil
> society in our country.  Finally, UCSJ has made a great contribution to
> religious freedom in Russia."
>
>
>
> ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
> For more information on Jews and human rights in the former Soviet Union,
> please contact ucsj at ucsj.com or visit us on the web at
> http://www.fsumonitor.com.
> Union of Councils for Soviet Jews
> 1819 H Street, NW Suite 230
> Washington, DC 20006
> (202) 775 9770
> (202) 775 9776 (fax)
> *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^