Russian-speaking Jews and countering antisemitism

• Published date: 11 October 2021
• Author: HAIM BEN YAAKOV
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The establishment of an organized system of Jewish communities started at the same time. An extensive system of community structures and institutions exists now in these countries. In recent years, there has also been a significant change in the international status of the Russian-speaking Jews who play a central role in the international Jewish community.

One indicator of these changes was the establishment of the Euro-Asian Delegation in 1991 and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in 2001. The EAJC has united organized Jewish community structures in the post-Soviet states, Eastern Europe and Asia. The EAJC has become an important channel of influence upon the Russian-speaking Jewish communities that now exists in 52 countries on five continents.

The Euro-Asian region is full of complex processes requiring careful and serious analysis. This prompted creation of the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies. The main objectives of the institute are to provide data to benefit the Jewish communities, to help develop Jewish education and to counteract xenophobia in the world. The Moshe Mirilashvili Center for Research on the Holocaust in the Soviet Union successfully operates under the auspices of the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad Vashem.

Antisemitic attacks have significantly declined in the former Soviet countries. However, antisemitic theories and stereotypes associated with the history of the Holocaust are still being monitored by researchers and attract public and media attention.

An increase has been recently noticed in referencing former Nazi accomplices and even portraying them as national heroes and fighters for independence. In the past, such a trend had been observed in Western Europe, but in recent years these myths had become more prevalent in the countries of the former USSR. The danger of such myths is obvious. These theories come alive and are spread through the "new media" and social networks.

The international community has condemned the denial and distortion of the Holocaust. On October 3, 2019, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the freedom of speech did not apply to denial of the genocide of Jews during...