Press Release - 11.99

NCSJ Board of Governors Meets
On U.S.-Russia Relations, Anti-Semitism

ATLANTA—NCSJ held its annual Board of Governors Meeting on November 15, 1999, in Atlanta, Georgia. Presentations covered U.S.-Russia relations, and Jewish communal life and anti-Semitism in Russia. During the well-attended meeting, the Board approved the nomination of Denis C. Braham and Howard E. Sachs to serve one additional year as Chairman and President, respectively. 

(l.-r.) NCSJ President Howard Sachs, The 
Honorable Newt Gingrich, NCSJ Chairman 
Denis Braham

Keynote addresses were delivered by the Honorable Newt Gingrich, to whom NCSJ presented the Torch of Liberty award, and Moscow Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt. NCSJ Vice President Harold Luks discussed the October NCSJ trip to Minsk, Moscow, and Kyiv. [See story, page 4] Ken Jacobson, Director of International Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), briefed the Board on the 1999 ADL survey of anti-Semitic attitudes in Russia.

The Honorable Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, underscored that "the process of securing human rights is never over." He said that the world may seem designed for democracy, but in reality it is becoming a more dangerous and uncertain place. He advocated a central theme: "If you truly care about people worshiping and living in safety, it is crucial that Americans stay actively involved. You help change the focus of our government."

Speaker Gingrich said that, in the past decade, the United States has made two major policy mistakes in its relations with Russia. First, the U.S. overestimated the extent of Russia’s commitment to freedom, prosperity, and rule of law. Second, the U.S. has been immersed in a cycle of propping up Boris Yeltsin at any cost. "This sent the emerging power structure in Russia a bad signal," Gingrich recounted. "They got the money without the behavior change and their contempt for us grew."

Gingrich said that he is not surprised at the rise of anti-Semitism in Russia, as conditions appear grim for any minority living there today. He said that Russia remains steeped in a tradition of nationalism, pan-Slavism, and anti-Semitism. This factor, combined with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and nuclear technology to rogue nations, generates a dangerous scenario.

"We must reassess our approach [toward Russia] and hold them more directly accountable," Gingrich argued. "Money and friendship from the West must be contingent on clear guidelines; otherwise, there will be penalties."

Moscow Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, who traveled from Russia to attend the Board of Governors Meeting, brought news of a new media attack on Russian Jewry. ORT-TV’s popular "Vremya" news magazine had just aired a segment attacking Russian Jewry and the Russian Jewish Congress as a "fifth column" of the West. The good news from Moscow, according to Rabbi Goldschmidt, is the fact that elections continue to proceed; the bad news is that the threat to Russian Jewry continues. He said that the Jewish community still bears the brunt of political anti-Semitism from both the right and the left, just as it did during the August 1998 financial crisis.

Rabbi Goldschmidt noted that, while monitoring of anti-Semitism and related issues is useful, there needs to be a mechanism to implement the human rights agenda. He reported on the newly founded Moscow Jewish Community, which has attracted the leadership of prominent Russian Jews and is engaging in fundraising and other high-profile activities. Current programs include a Chechnya-related fact-finding mission to Dagestan and Ingushetia, and development of an interfaith partnership to channel assistance and advocacy efforts.

The Chief Rabbi underscored that NCSJ’s advocacy on behalf of Jews in the FSU remains crucial. "Raise your voices against further attempts [to discredit Jews]," he urged. "If anti-Semitism goes unchecked and not criticized, it’s a carte blanche to the government."

The ADL’s Ken Jacobson highlighted and analyzed key findings from the 1999 ADL survey, "Societal Attitudes and Anti-Semitism in Russia." ADL has conducted polls in the United States and other countries for more than 30 years, based on an index developed by sociologists to measure attitudes toward Jews. In the 1999 poll, more than 5,000 individuals across Russia underwent one-hour personal interviews, including questions about general political and economic attitudes in Russia because, as Jacobson pointed out, "Russian attitudes toward Jews do not exist in a vacuum."

Overall findings suggest negative attitudes across the board. Not one person interviewed believed that the Russian economy is in excellent or even good condition, and 78 percent said they believe that Russia is moving in the wrong direction. Only 42 percent agreed that Russia needs to move forward with reform, while 35 percent yearn for the old system and most support state ownership of property.

If respondents answered six or more questions negatively in the anti-Semitism category, they were labeled "extremely anti-Semitic," and 44 percent of those surveyed fit this category. Relevant responses in this category included that Jews have too much power, control Russian business, always want to be in charge, and are unconcerned about others. Another interesting trend highlighted in this survey is that, unlike in the U.S. and many other countries—where higher education positively correlates with a decline in anti-Semitic views—in Russia, higher education has no significant impact on anti-Semitic attitudes.

To obtain a copy of the survey or learn more about ADL, visit ADL’s Web site at www.adl.org.