JTA– Russia’s upper house has approved the resignation of a two Jewish lawmakers who stepped down last week amid accusations that one of them hid his Israeli citizenship. Senator Vitaly Malkin, 60, handed in his resignation on Tuesday amid accusations that he has failed to give up his Israeli citizenship as Russian lawmakers are legally […]
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Disputed Schneerson Library to Move to Jewish Museum in Moscow
JTA – Russia plans to move Jewish texts claimed by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement to Moscow’s newly opened Jewish museum next month. Russian Deputy Culture Minister Grigory Ivliyev told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday that the disputed Schneerson library will be moved to the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center. “We will start moving the books […]
Belarusian Jewish Community Leader Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion
JTA — Yuri Dorn, a leader of the Jewish community of Belarus, pleaded guilty to tax evasion but is continuing to deny charges that he abused his position. Dorn was president of the Union of Religious Jewish Congregations in Belarus at the time of his arrest last year. He is charged with tax evasion, to which […]
A Note from Director Leonid Stonov– David Guy’s “The Terrarium”
Dear all: I’ve just read a very interesting and brilliant book, “The Terrarium” by David Guy, 2013. I am eager to share with you my admiration about it. The novel helps one understand modern Russia with all of its mysteries, problems, tragedies and threats. It is reminiscent of Orwell’s writing with its Aesopian style and […]
In the Sewers of Lvov
Friends: In preparation for Passover and its powerful theme of “mei avdut l’cherut” — from slavery to freedom — I watched a DVD of the 2011 film “In Darkness.” Based on the non-fiction book, “In the Sewers of Lvov”, the film chronicles the incredible survival of a group of Jews for 14 months underneath Lvov’s […]
Russian Oligarch and Critic of Putin Dies
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 […]
Numerous Anti-Semitic Incidents Have Been Reported Throughout Eastern Europe in Recent Days
(JTA) — A string of anti-Semitic events and incidents have been recorded in Ukraine, Poland and Hungary in recent days. A swastika and neo-Nazi symbols was spray-painted last week on a monument in Mykolaiv, near Odessa, to the late Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. In Kiev, anti-Semitic flyers on Monday were placed on a synagogue […]
Legionnaires Day in Latvia Draws Protesters
On Saturday, March 16th, over 1000 Latvians honored Nazi-allied World War II soldiers. Violence almost erupted between the Latvian participants and the ethnic Russians, who are a minority in the country. The police used force, dragging some participants away and detaining four, to prevent any tumult. Read the AP article here. March 16th is considered […]
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 […]