The Associated Press reports that Latvia’s Parliament has banned the public display of Soviet and Nazi symbols, as well as any promotion of fascist or communist ideologies. This includes visual displays of swastikas and the hammer and sickle and the singing of Soviet or Nazi anthems. It is expected to be signed into law by […]
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Limmud FSU Conference Held in Vitebsk, Belarus
From JPost: VITEBSK, Belarus – The latest incarnation of Limmud FSU (former Soviet Union) took place for the first time in Belarus over the weekend, one of the most storied countries in Jewish history. Once home to a thriving Jewish community decimated by World War II, Belarus produced nine Israeli presidents, two Nobel Prize laureates […]
The Passing of Senator Frank Lautenberg
We at the Union of Councils for Jews in the former Soviet Union are saddened by the passing of Senator Frank Lautenberg. He was a devoted public servant and a friend of all those around the world fleeing from religious discrimination; in particular, the millions of Jews from the former Soviet Union who owe him a […]
Siberian City of Tomsk to Return Wooden Synagogue to the Jewish Community
JTA — The Siberian city of Tomsk will return an old, wooden synagogue built by Jewish soldiers to the Jewish community. The synagogue and surrounding complex will be handed over to the Jewish Community of Tomsk after the municipality finds alternative housing for some 15 families who are currently living there, Mayor Nikolay Nikolaychuk said, according […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
UCSJ Ukraine Bureau Director Promotes Jewish Cultural Preservation in Lviv, Officials Respond
Recently, officials in Lviv, Ukraine have announced that they will no longer use Jewish headstones as paving materials. In 1947, Soviet authorities built a local market using Jewish headstones as pavement for it. Meylakh Sheykhet, UCSJ’s Ukraine Bureau Director, was instrumental in lobbying for the headstones’ removal. The gravestones will be transferred to the only remaining […]
January 13, 1948: A Dark Day in Soviet Jewish History
JTA— By Adam Soclof In 1948, prominent Yiddish theater actor and director Solomon Mikhoels died in what was later revealed to have been a political assassination ordered by Joseph Stalin’s security police chief Lavrenti Beria. (The death murder was believed by many, including his daughters, to have been carried out in the form of a staged car accident). A similar account […]
Masha Sergeeva: Using Art to Promote Modern Jewish Culture
JDC— Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia in the years after the fall of Communism, Masha Sergeeva, 21, grew up with limited understanding of—or pride in—her Jewish identity. That’s all changed now. “My uncle, my mom’s brother was a refusnik, and went to Israel in the first aliyah in the ‘80s,” explains Masha. “But my mom worked as an engineer at a […]