Satanovsky Visit - May 2002

 

RJC Visit to Washington

Yevgeny Satanovsky, President of the Russian Jewish Congress, visited Washington, DC, May 6-8, together with Sergei Gitman, RJC Vice President for International Relations, and Olga Akmulina, RJC Driector of Resource Development.  In addition to high-level meetings with White House and State Department officials, Mr. Satanovsky had the opportunity to address the U.S. Government's Religious Roundtable on Religious Freedom in Russia and Europe; a briefing at the headquarters of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty; annual National Leadership Conference of the Anti-Defamation League; and a working lunch with representatives of American Jewish organizations.

Read report on RFE/RL briefing

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Below (at left): NCSJ Chairman Harold Paul Luks with Yevgeny Satanovsky

Above (at right): Yevgeny Satanovsky meeting with representatives of American Jewish organizations

Below (at left): ... addressing annual leadership dinner of Anti-Defamation League

Above (at right): ... briefing Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty audience on Russian Jewish community concerns

Below: ... addressing U.S. Government's Roundtable on Religious Freedom, in U.S. Senate

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Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Briefing
May 7, 2002

Yevgeny Satanovsky, President of the Russian Jewish Congress, described the state of the Russian Jewish community today, changing attitudes toward Jews in Russia and Europe, and the importance of Israel to the Russian Jewish community.

Although anti-Semitism still exists in Russia, Mr. Satanovsky noted that Jews are no longer the primary targets of rising popular xenophobia.  Commending the strong stance taken by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his recent message to the Russian Federal Assembly condemning xenophobia, anti-Semitism, racism and fascism, Satanovsky views Russia today as a country on its way to consolidating a Western-style democracy.  However, given the Kremlin’s recent efforts to select a chief rabbi of Russia, the Putin administration’s troubling inclination to control religious groups cannot be ignored.  Within the context of changing political, economic, social and cultural practices and traditions within Russia, the Russian Jewish Congress works to develop a dynamic Jewish community within Russia as well as to establish and strengthen ties to the rest of the Jewish diaspora and Israel.

Referring to Russia as the “first post-assimilationist Jewish community,” Mr. Satanovsky described a surprising trend where the non-Jewish partner of a mixed marriage starts to identify herself/himself as Jewish with the passage of time and the children born to mixed marriages are usually raised as Jews.  This is a complete reversal from the Soviet era when Jews strove to conceal their Jewish identity by all means possible.  This reflects the fundamental changes that Russian society has undergone in the last decade.

According to Mr. Satanovsky, the greatest concern of the Russian Jewish Congress today is not the situation of Jews within Russia but rather developments outside Russia’s borders affecting all Jews.  With anti-Israeli propaganda and Holocaust revisionism on a worldwide scale, anti-Semitism on the rise in Europe and international organizations such as the United Nations criticizing Israel, Israel has become a “Jew among nations” – a historical scapegoat. 

With nearly a million Russian Jews and non-Jews residing in Israel, the Russian Jewish community finds itself more closely connected to the people of Israel than ever before, and expresses its solidarity with Israelis and the State of Israel.  Russian non-Jews, as well, identify with Israel’s struggle against terrorism, and relate well to Russian-speaking Israeli citizens, soldiers and politicians they see interviewed on television.  Satanovsky stated the RJC’s position that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is a terrorist whose central aim is the liquidation of the Jewish state; Arafat’s leadership must end before all groups in the region can begin working toward a permanent peace. 

Asked about his views on the war in Chechnya, Mr. Satanovsky described it as a “civil war…[that] began as a tragedy and a crime.”  Explaining this shift in perspective, Satanovsky explained that many Chechen leaders spoke the language of national independence and liberation while committing atrocities against civilians.  Mr. Satanovsky categorized a criminal as one who targets civilians, emphasized that the state is also responsible for controlling its forces and holding accountable those who commit human rights abuses.  While such abuses occur, Satanovsky stressed that soldiers and police are nonetheless the only force authorized to prevent crime and bring criminals to justice.

Jews are no longer the number one ‘enemy’ to Russia as they were under Soviet rule, but in light of their past treatment understand the plight of Caucasians today.   The Russian Jewish Congress recently evacuated a Chechen orphanage to Moscow, without regard to religion or ethnicity.

- prepared by Yelena Niazova, NCSJ Intern

 

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