50,000 Public Figures in Russia Seek Ban on Jewish Groups — Paper
MosNews
Some 50,000 well known public figures and church officials in Russia have signed a petition asking the country’s state prosecution to ban Jewish groups, the Haaretz newspaper reported on Monday, quoting information broadcast by Army Radio.
The petition uses quotations from an abridged guide to Jewish law, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, to support its contention that Judaism is “an extremist and racist ethnicity that hates non-Jews”.
The signatories — including former army generals, artists and an unnamed former international chess champion — argue that this definition of Judaism makes the activity of Jewish groups illegal, according to the radio.
A similar petition was signed by 20 Russian lawmakers about two months ago, the radio said.
Foreign Ministry official Nimrod Barkan warned Sunday that Russians were effectively getting the message that anti-Semitism would be tolerated.
“There’s the expansion of the number of anti-Semitic incidents, including violent incidents [in Russia]; the enforcement institutions avoid taking effective steps,” said Barkan, who heads the Diaspora and religion department in the ministry.
“This sends a message, also to those sitting on the fence,” he told Army Radio, “that it’s comfortable and secure to be anti-Semitic in Russia.”
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