Two anti-Semitic attacks in one day

On January 14, 2005, at 10:40 pm in Moscow, in an underground passage through the Suschevsky Val, a group of young people (6-7 people, approximate age - from 16 to 25 years old) chased rabbis Alexander Lakshin and Ruven Kuravsky and two children aged 9 and 10 . The rabbis split up, each taking a child, and tried to escape. At the exit from the underground passage, the pursuers managed to catch up with A. Lakshin with one of the children. However, the rabbi managed to send the child running out of the crossing. A. Lakshin was knocked down and started to be kicked and beaten with bottles. With injuries to the head, arm, spine, multiple bruises and abrasions, the victim was taken to the American Medical Center, where he was treated. Currently, Alexander Lakshin's condition is assessed by doctors as "moderate". On January 17, 2005, employees of the American embassy in Moscow joined the investigation of the incident. Professor Lakshin is a citizen of the United States.

On the same evening, two hours earlier, a young religious Jewish couple, also returning home, was attacked in the same passage. Eulia Fomiuk, born in 1979, was dressed in traditional Jewish clothing. Apparently, this outfit provoked the attack.

On January 18, 2005, REGNUM reported on the statement made by Chief Rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar regarding the incident. Berl Lazar urged law enforcement agencies to strengthen measures to protect representatives of national minorities. “Recently, we, unfortunately, are witnessing a reverse trend towards the banalization of anti-Semitic crimes, primarily in European countries,” Berl Lazar notes in his statement. “ We have repeatedly stressed that crimes based on national and racial grounds cannot and should not be considered ordinary hooliganism. The history of the twentieth century proves that any connivance with anti-Semitism and downplaying its danger leads, ultimately, to the most terrible catastrophes, to the death of millions of people of all nationalities " .

The prosecutor's office initiated a criminal case under Art. 213 hours 2 .

Sources

• The head of a Jewish organization suffered from an attack by anti-Semites (Moscow) //Regnum. 2005. January 17
• Anti-Semitic crimes near Maryina Roshcha become serial - chief rabbi of Russia // IA REGNUM. 2005. January 18.
• A criminal case was opened on the fact of the beating of two rabbis in Moscow // IA REGNUM. 2005. January 18.