The NY Times reports that Russian oligarch Boris A. Berezovsky died this past Saturday at his home outside of London. Berezovsky was once the richest and most powerful oligarch in post-Soviet Russia. He initially helped orchestrate Putin’s rise to power, but later became a target of Putin, along with a number of other rich and [...]
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Cossack Revival in Russia
From the NY Times– STAVROPOL, Russia — Outside this city’s police headquarters on a recent night, a priest in a purple velvet hat and gold stole moved from one man to the next, offering a cross to be kissed and drenching their faces with holy water from a long brush. And so began another night [...]
Lautenberg Amendment, Originally for Soviet Jews, Serves as Lifeline to Iranian Religious Minorities
(JTA) – When the Lautenberg Amendment was introduced in 1990, it provided a mechanism for hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews to exit their crumbling country and immigrate to freedom in the United States. Since 2004, it has served as a lifeline for religious minorities fleeing the Islamic theocracy of Iran. The amendment, named for [...]
Arson Suspected at Jewish Community Center in Central Russia
(JTA) — A Jewish community center in Perm, a city in central Russia, sustained minor damage in what police suspect was attempted arson with fire bombs. Firefighters in Perm, a municipality located on the banks of the Kama River near the Ural Mountains, put out a small fire inside the center on Saturday, the government-owned [...]
UCSJ Update: Our Discussion with Luidmilla Alexeeva
MARCH 11, 2013 On March 2, 2013, UCSJ President Larry Lerner and International Director Leonid Stonov had an hour long Skype discussion with the Chair of the Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG), Luidmilla Alexeeva. Alexeeva is a long-term partner of UCSJ. She arrived in the US on March 1, 2013, after being invited by Senator Benjamin [...]
On 60th Anniversary of Stalin’s Death, He Remains Admired
MOSCOW (AP) — Devotees of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, whose brutal purges killed millions of innocent citizens and made his name a byword for totalitarian terror, flocked to the Kremlin to praise him for making his country a world power Tuesday, while experts and politicians puzzled and despaired over his enduring popularity. Communist Party chief [...]
Chabad Rejects Proposal from Putin to Put Chabad Collection in Russian Jewish Museum
JTA– Chabad rejected a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin that a disputed collection of books and documents be kept at a Jewish museum in Moscow. The New York-based religious movement, responding Thursday to the suggestion floated by Putin earlier this week, insisted that Russian authorities immediately hand over the so-called Chabad Library. “The collection [...]
Human Rights Watch Annual Report on Russia: ‘worst year for human rights in Russia in recent memory’
The Moscow Times– A leading rights group lashed out at President Vladimir Putin on Thursday by saying he had “unleashed the worst political crackdown” in the country’s post-Soviet history after returning to the Kremlin last year. Human Rights Watch’s annual report, released Thursday, says the string of restrictive laws enacted since last summer, as well as the [...]
Russia and U.S. Continue Dispute over Chabad-Lubavitch Texts
JPOST– Russia has criticized a US judge’s ruling in a longstanding dispute over a collection of Jewish writings, warning of potential retaliation in an irate statement that reflected strained ties with the United States. A judge in Washington on Wednesday ordered Russia to pay $50,000 a day in fines for failure to adhere to a [...]
Antisemitism in Transnistria
JPost– by Nicky Larkin There are not many borders in Europe where the cops sell ecstasy. There are also not many countries in Europe currently boasting one hundred per-cent employment. In Transnistria it seems they have it all sorted. The only problem is the country doesn’t officially exist. And they hate you Jews. Also, you [...]