Despite all the accusations of antisemitism directed towards Russian PM Vladimir Putin, Russians Jews have a different take. Under Putin, anti-Semitic views are no longer accepted among Russian politicians. The Jewish community in Russia is flowering and Putin himself has shown great respect for their contributions to Russian society. As a result, many Russian Jews are happy to see Putin return to the Presidency.
Most Russian Jews, it seems, say that Putin’s return after a four-year stint as prime minister is good news for stability, and that’s good for the country’s Jewish community. Critics, however, say it’s a sign of Russia’s stagnation.
Echoing traditional Jewish sensibilities, Yevgeniy Satanovsky, head of the Institute for Israel and Near Eastern Studies, a think tank in Moscow, says that Jews do not have to worry about Putin.
“Putin is neither an anti-Semite nor anti-Israel,” Satanovsky said.
For Russia’s Jews, whose estimated numbers range from 500,000 to 1 million, Putin marked a departure from the anti-Semitism of past Communist elites and of the once all-powerful KGB, which he served for nearly two decades.
Putin was the first Russian leader to visit Israel, where he attended an official reception. He also visited a Moscow synagogue, participated in candle-lighting ceremonies on Chanukah and reportedly had an open door for one of Russia’s two chief rabbis, Berel Lazar.
While human rights groups reported surges in xenophobic attacks at various times during Putin’s presidency, Jews rarely were the targets.
Lazar said Putin should be credited for driving anti-Semitism out of Russian political discourse.
Vladimir Putin is a complicated man. He is many things, but being a Jew hater is not one of them. On the contrary he has shown respect to the Russian Jewish community. This explains their support of him.
Tags: Russian Jews, Vladimir Putin
That’s pretty interesting. Maybe he notices that Jews probably make contributions to Russian society. Who knows. As you say, he is a complicated man. However, I would not turn my back on him. If it serves him in some way, historically Jews make good scapegoats.
uhhhh….cause russians despise muslims?
If Russia, Israel and Greek Cypriots go to war with Turkey , Hal Lindsey’s head will explode.
@ yenta-fada:
Don’t trust anyone. Heck I don’t trust the US political system at this point.
Always keep an eye open!
@ The Osprey:
I would celebrate the destruction of Turkey!
Hey,w hat movie was that where the Polish Hussars were fighting the Crimean Tatars?
Rodan wrote:
It’s hard to sleep that way! I get your point though.
Rodan wrote:
“With Fire and Sword”, which depicts the tenuous “alliance” between the Crimean Tatars and Cossacks against their common enemy, Poland-Lithuania in 1649.
Rodan wrote:
Jerzy Hoffman’s “With Fire and Sword”. He did three films based on the “Trilogy” of Henryk Sienkiewicz about the wars of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but he filmed them in backwards chronological order!
“Ogniem i Mieczem” With Fire and Sword: Khmielnitsky Cossack uprising and Tatar invasion 1648-49 filmed 1999
“Potop” The Deluge: Swedish invasion 1650′s filmed in 1974-75
“Pan Wolodyjowsky” (Sir or Colonel Wolodyjowsky) Fire on the Steppe: war with Turks late 1670′s-1690′s filmed in 1969.
Sir Michael Wolodyjowsky is one of the few characters in all three of the books/films, he dies at the end of Fire on the Steppe when he and his Scottish artillery master, Ketling, blow themselves up in the powder magazine in a fortress (Kameniec-Podolsky?) to give the Polish forces besieged in the castle time to escape from the Turks. In the denouement, Jan Sobieski retakes the castle and holds a Mass in their memory. This is about 1679, IIRC, after Sobieski becomes Grand Hetman of the Commonwealth, but before he becomes King and defeats the Turks at Vienna in 1683.
I seem to recall Владимир Владимирович saying something to the effect of: “We’ll follow Terrorists everywhere. If we catch them in the shithouse, they’ll die in the shithouse.”
Now if he just wouldn’t play both sides against the middle.