Attempted arson at a synagogue in the Moscow region

On the morning of January 1, 2005, unidentified persons poured kerosene over the corner of a synagogue building in the village of Saltykovka, Moscow Region, and set it on fire.

The first to notice the flames was a resident of a neighboring house, she woke up the people sleeping inside the building, who remained in the synagogue for Shabbat. None of the parishioners were injured, the fire was extinguished at the initial stage and did not have time to spread to the entire synagogue, only the terrace burned to the ground.

Chief Rabbi of Russia Adolf Shayevich expressed deep concern over the arson. "The impunity that accompanies such hooligan actions encourages extremists to desecrate Jewish cemeteries and synagogues ," he said.

Currently, the internal affairs bodies of the Moscow region are investigating this incident.

In an interview with the Jewish News Agency on January 6, the head of the local community, Isidor Weiser, spoke about the arson and suggested that a local nationalist group was involved in it (“There was a powerful RNE group in Saltykovka ,” Weiser noted).

Sources

• Synagogue set on fire on New Year's Eve // Polit.ru. 2005. January 4
• The Chief Rabbi of Russia spoke about the attempt to set fire to the synagogue in Saltykovka // RIA News. 2005. January 4
• Who attacks the Jews will end badly // Jewish News Agency. 2005. January 6