Russian culture

[Lindsey Taxman]

Emily,

TO read UCSJ's latest report, Antisemitism,Xenophobia and Religious
Persecution in Russia's Regions: 1998-1999, click on the URL,
http://www.fsumonitor.com/99report/imdex.shtml to find the whole report.
It is available in entirity using Adobe Acrobat which is available for
download on the site (link to Adobe).  Parts of the report, including an
essay on the Russian Orthodox Church, are also available directly online
through the table of contents.

Please let me know if you need more information regarding this.  You can
also contact our Research and Advocacy Director, Nickolai Butkevich at
nbutkevich at ucsj.com for more details.  He follows the ROC closely.

Thank you for your interest in this comprehensive report!

All the best,
Lindsey Paige Taxman

At 03:33 PM 12/17/1999 +0000, you wrote:
>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)
>> *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
>
>






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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)
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^