Daily Alert Archives

Russia's Anti-Semitic Attack on Israel Is Shocking and Deliberate

(Ha'aretz) Ksenia Svetlova - An experienced diplomat, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov knew perfectly well what he was saying when he erupted into a tirade about Jews, anti-Semites and Hitler in an interview this week on Italian TV. When Putin and his loyal servant Lavrov need to justify the crusade against a Ukrainian president who happens to be a Jew, any comparison, metaphor, hyperbole or blood libel is good enough. Nothing is sacred. To many in Israel, it came as a shock, a sharp departure from what is commonly described as "Putin's philosemitism." But for Russian speakers in Israel, Ukraine and Russia, there was nothing new. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, anti-Semitism in Russia certainly did not disappear. In times of crisis - for instance, when a Russian intelligence plane was downed in Syria (by Syrian air defense systems), or when Israeli gymnast Linoy Ashram won the gold medal for rhythmic gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics, ending Russia's 20-year monopoly - the social networks were suddenly full of anti-Semitic malice. After a horrific 2018 fire in a Kemerovo trade center, various Christian circles argued that the Jews were behind the tragedy, as it coincided with a Jewish holiday. Ultra-nationalist Russian Orthodox circles, which have enjoyed increasing access to the Kremlin, have long propagated anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russian TV propaganda has condemned Russian Jews who "left their motherland in a critical hour and are now hiding in Israel," and lists artists and journalists, both in Russia and abroad, critical of the war, explicitly mentioning that all of them have Jewish names. The writer, a former member of the Knesset, is director of the Israel-Middle East program at Mitvim - the Israeli institute for Regional Foreign Policy.
2022-05-04 00:00:00
Full Article