Religious Roundtable - 09.29.2000

 

 

NCSJ Executive Director Mark B. Levin and Lesley Weiss, NCSJ Director of Community Services and Cultural Affairs, attended the Roundtable on Religious Freedom co-chaired by Stephen Sestanovich, Ambassador at Large and Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for the New Independent States (NIS); Mark Medish, Senior Director for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, National Security Council; Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR); and Tom Farr, Director, Office of International Religious Freedom.      

The agenda included the 1997 Law on Religion requiring that all religious organizations be registered by December 31, 2000; recent court activities; and a discussion of the broader climate of religious freedom in Russia.

Mark Medish described a year of extensive and intensive dialogue between the United States and Russia.  The Administration believes that its message makes a difference and that there is value in these ongoing conversations.  The real question remains, “What does Putin mean for Russia?”  The pattern of recent conduct, which includes harassment of religious groups, acts of intolerance and the ongoing Chechnya conflict, is troubling.

Tom Farr stated that the U.S. Government has integrated religious freedom into the fabric of foreign policy. The U.S. Embassy actively investigates reports of violations of religious freedom
and discusses these issues with a broad range of religious and human rights activists.

Gregory Olds, Jehovah’s Witnesses representative, reported that while many congregations have successfully registered, there are 15 regions in which congregations have been denied registration. Other congregations have received “liquidation” warnings and 54 cases are in courts of law.

Susan Taylor, Church of Scientology International representative, reported that the harassment and liquidation of churches continues. She says the problems are coming from the Federal level and the general prosecutor’s office sent misinformation to prosecutors about Scientology.

Rabbi Levi Shemtov, American Friends of Lubavitch, said that he was in Moscow last week to attend the opening of the new Jewish Community Center.  President Putin, the Vice-Mayor of Moscow and U.S. Ambassador Jim Collins also attended the event. The Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia has provided security for the community of Ryazan where a Sunday school was recently attacked by a group of neo-Nazis.  A meeting is planned with the Governor of Ryazan.  He underscored the need for constant American vigilance.

Micah Naftalin, Union of Councils for Soviet Jews, observed that anti-Semitism in Russia tends to be cyclical in nature.  Currently Russia is coming off of what was the worst such cycle since the collapse of the Soviet Union.  The Yeltsin government’s inability to control led to an alliance between local authorities, neo-Nazi and Cossack paramilitary groups, and anti-Semitic elements within the Russian Orthodox Church.

Mark Levin, NCSJ Executive Director, suggested that a letter be sent from the NGOs to the Russian government requesting an extension of the deadline for registration of religious organizations.  Stephen Stestanovitch agreed with this approach and asked Mark to help facilitate the letter.