September 22, 2016 (JTA) — Belarus and the United States signed an agreement to preserve and protect the cultural properties of all ethnic groups, including those of Holocaust victims. Belarus Foreign Minister Vladimir Makai and the chair of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, Lesley Weiss, signed the agreement Wednesday at the World […]
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Why Uzbekistan’s Jews miss the iron fist of their late ruler
Jews of Uzbekistan insist that late President Islam Karimov’s ruthless and often brutal policies were necessary to keep out radical Islam. Cnaan Liphshiz, 13/09/16 21:54 JTA Yossif Tilayev, the caretaker of the Bukharian synagogue in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, explain Photo: Cnaan Liphshiz Driving through this dusty desert city of many ornate and ancient mosques, Shirin Yakubov […]
Lviv opens Jewish memorial on former historic synagogue
By Cnaan Liphshiz September 5, 2016 MOSCOW (JTA) — The city of Lviv in western Ukraine inaugurated a controversial memorial monument on part of what used to be the Golden Rose Synagogue complex. The inauguration on Sunday, designated the European Day of Jewish Culture, of the Synagogue Space in Lviv was led by Mayor Andriy Sadovy […]
A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories
STOCKHOLM — With a vigorous national debate underway on whether Sweden should enter a military partnership with NATO, officials in Stockholm suddenly encountered an unsettling problem: a flood of distorted and outright false information on social media, confusing public perceptions of the issue. The claims were alarming: If Sweden, a non-NATO member, signed the deal, […]
Holocaust monuments defaced in Russia, Estonia
September 2, 2016 MOSCOW (JTA) — Unidentified individuals vandalized Holocaust monument in Russia and Estonia. The Baltic country’s Jewish community last week reported the drawing of swastikas on the Holocaust monument of the city of Kalevi-Liiva 10 miles east of the Estonian capital of Tallinn. “It is sad that such incidents are taking place in […]
Hope for change in Lithuania
by Efraim Zuroff Let us all hope that the new spirit on display in Moletai will mark the beginning of a new era in Lithuania. Lithuania skyline. (photo credit:REUTERS) MOLETAI, LITHUANIA – If anyone had told me prior to this week’s Holocaust memorial event here that numerous people from all over the country, the majority […]
More of Kremlin’s Opponents Are Ending Up Dead
Mr. Putin, perceiving an intrusion into his country’s affairs, campaigned hard against the measure. When it passed, he retaliated by ending American adoptions of Russian children. The law became a prototype for the blacklisting of prominent Russians accused of murders, human rights abuses and financial theft, among other violations. The question of who was […]
Russian TV station blames Jews for Titanic, Chernobyl and 9/11
By Petru Clej, August 23, 2016 The wreck of the Titanic (Picture: YouTube/BW Channel) Purveyors of antisemitic conspiracy theories are two-a-penny, but one Russian TV documentary has gone a step further than most. Jews are responsible for the sinking of the Titanic, the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl and the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 […]
Jewish Past and Present in Moldova’s Green Capital
Jewish Past and Present in Moldova’s Green Capital A fragile Jewish presence is part of Chisinau’s post-Soviet rebirth Hilary Danailova Travel Writer Verdant central Chișinău is split at the core by Stefan The Great Boulevard and Stefan the Great Central Park and the Public Whenever we find ourselves someplace my husband regards as particularly […]
Keeping the Faith in Vilnius
Keeping the Faith in Vilnius By Ellen Cassedy Amit Belaite.Amit Belaite adores the long ode to the city of Vilna that was penned by writer and poet Moyshe Kulbak 90 years ago. Lines from the poem about Vilna’s stones and streets were running through her head on a warm summer afternoon as she led a […]