Epidemic of hatred

Why is anti -Semitism in Russia so popular and where does its roots come from?

After the outbreak of war, Hamas and Israel in many countries took place rallies and demonstrations in support of Palestine. Sometimes protesters came out not only with Palestinian flags, but also with the swastika, anti -Semitic posters and calls to kill Jews. Or shouted “Gas the Jews” - this is a call to kill Jews in gas chambers, as it happened in the Second World War. According to data collected by Anti-defamation League, from October 7, about 590 reports of anti-Semitic incidents were received by the French police. In Germany, the number of such incidents increased by 240% compared to the same period last year, and in Austria - by 300%.

Russia is not behind. On October 29, near Makhachkala, about a thousand people captured the airport with a flight arrived from Israel. Some of the people penetrated the runway, the pogroms searched for Jews among passengers, checked the documents and burst into office premises. On November 22, it became known that up to 90 people can be arrested in the case of riots at the Makhachkala airport. At the same time, 44 decisions on the arrest have already received complaints to the Supreme Court of Dagestan. In relation to more than 400 people, administrative affairs were instituted. On the same day, in Nalchik (Kabardino-Balkarian Republic), unknown people staged a fire on the territory of the Jewish center under construction. In telegram channels, a photo was published from the scene, which shows how the anti-Semitic inscription “Death to the Yahudam” was applied to the wall of the center.

The origins of anti -Semitism

“In Russia, there is a tradition of anti-Semitism, which is based on several features,” explains the historian Arkady Zelzer, director of the Holocaust History Center in the Soviet Union named after Moshe Mirilashvili. “There are regions where Jews have historically lived, Ukraine and Belarus, to some extent, the North Caucasus, for example.” There was a constant feature of settledness. At the end of the XIX century, the situation has changed significantly. Jews began to integrate more and more into Russian society, but when it began to happen, the dream of Russian bureaucracy, which has existed since the Poland section in 1772, to integrate Jews economically and socially into Russian society - was replaced by the opposite. ”

Jews began to infringe on the rights, says the historian: they did not have the opportunity to advance in public service, receive officer ranks, they limited access to universities and gymnasiums. “This situation led to an increase in anti -Jewish discourse. Jews were more and more perceived as a stranger group within the framework of a social and religious context, ”the historian explains.

Zelzer says that at that time, outbreaks of violence against Jews were everywhere, myths about the bloody room spread - stories that Jews use the blood of Christians or Muslims for ritual purposes. Faith grew in some special rituals and behavior inherent in Jews.

During the Russian Revolution, and then during the Civil War, the Jewish pogroms took place regularly - both the Red Army and the Denikins participated in them.

“At the same time, at the beginning of the 20th century, a significant change occurred - in the Jewish environment the interest in education began to grow,” says Zelzer. - Jews had social ambitions, they tried to integrate into Russian society. Since it was quite difficult to get to the university or gymnasium at that time, its own network of Jewish schools appeared. In the same period, political and national Jewish movements began to arise, the ideas of Zionism developed. ”

The 1917 revolution equalized Jews with the rest of society, says the historian. A feature of settledness, religious restrictions and obstacles to promotion were canceled. The program of the Bolsheviks appeared support for ethnic cultures and the equality of all groups of the population, the new government adopted a decree on the fight against anti -Semitism.

“The 20s is a period of quick integration of the Jewish population into society, the mass entry of Jews into the sphere of public service and the Soviet elite,” the historian says. -Already in the 20-30s, Jews began to occupy very serious positions in the Soviet leadership, in the ministries, in the party, in the NKVD, and in the army. They turned into one of the most advanced ethnic groups. However, for the bulk of the population, it was still a stranger group. This created the image of a Jewish-chuzhak in power. "

The new outbreak of anti -Semitism was associated with the outbreak of World War II. “There was a serious rise in Russian nationalism, it became state policy,” Zelzer notes. “The so -called Russocentrism has appeared.”

Stereotypes that existed both in the pre -revolutionary and Soviet society, that Jews are not busy with normal labor, lead a parasitic lifestyle, evade service in the army, and so on, spread during the war. The phenomenon of “intelligent anti -Semitism” originated, when they treated a Jew well at the front, because he was “his own” and fights, and they still experienced a prejudice to the Jews. “Many Jews wrote about this in letters at that time,” says Zelzer. “Some showed increased and even unnecessary heroism, only to refute such mass performances.”

“For the Russian intelligentsia of the 60s, the theme of the Holocaust became important,” says the historian. -The 90s blurred the idea of ​​their and strangers, but did not completely eradicate him. Stereotypes remained within the framework of the family, there was an anti -Semitic background. ”

Back in the XVII century

“The outbreak of anti -Semitism today is a symptom of the collapse of the public model of Russia,” says director and producer Alexander Rodnyansky. - This model was built on the idea of ​​a multinational world society, where all nations flourish. And in this multinational state, which is proud of the victory over Nazism in the Second World War, anti -Semitic pogroms suddenly take place. What is it, if not a symptom of the defeat of everything that they tried to build? "

At the end of October, in several regions of Russia, protests were held under frankly anti -Semitic slogans. On October 28, the crowd gathered in front of the government in Cherkessk demanded not to let all Jews from the Karachay-Cherkess republic to the republic from the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Karachay-Cherkessia on October 29 reported that about 80 people took part in the action .

A day earlier, in the city of Khasavyurt of the Republic of Dagestan, residents stageda check at the Flamingo Hotel , trying to find Jews and "refugees from Israel." The hotel also installed a plate explaining that the Jews are prohibited.

At the end of October, the co -owner of the company for daily rental of housing in Makhachkala “How at home 05” refused to rent apartments to Jews . “Not a single Jew who came from Israel will settled in our apartments. And even if we are inflated, I will look at the cameras, I will calculate it and make it out, ”she said.

“Russian society went on an unpleasant journey. From the station at which the supposedly European country was located with capabilities, to the station where traditional values, conservatism, totalitarian power, repression, constant wars and death are located. This is a movement in some XVII century, in the pre-Petrine era. Monstrous poverty and ignorance are added to this - people do not understand anything about the modern world and about historical circumstances, ”says Rodnyansky.

Anti -Semitism is actively broadcast among users of social networks . The Internet is replete with numerous announcements that Jews should not rent apartments, carry them in cars or serve in cafes, calls to call Jews “Yachados” and “drive creatures”.

“Of course, my family has been faced with anti -Semitism the whole XX century,” recalls journalist Vladimir Raevsky. - My grandmother was called Tsil, she was supposed to be called Natasha. Dad learned to mathematics, but he was not allowed to work in his specialty, and he was forced to jump out to a physicist. However, being a very talented scientist, he succeeded there. ”

“Personally, I have never heard of anti -Semitic statements,” says Vladimir. - In my opinion, in Russia today there are categories of the population that are much more strictly discriminated. Try to rent an apartment if you have a surname, for example, Huseynov. ”

The teacher Dima Zitser has a different experience: in childhood, he has repeatedly encountered direct anti -Semitism. "I was just beaten with shouts" Jewish face! " He recalls. - In the seventh grade due to such a skirmish, I received a concussion. I was not taken to the university with a direct wording, they said to my mother: "Well, you understand everything."

State anti -Semitism

Arkady Zeltser believes that the surge of anti -Semitism today is the result of state policy. “The statements of the Russian authorities regarding the Jews, regarding the President of Zelensky and its origin, the struggle against the so -called Nazism - all this affects the situation and legitimizes anti -Semitic views,” the historian says.

Here, for example, a quote from an interview with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sergei Lavrov to the Italian television company Mediaset: “He (Zelensky) puts forward an argument: what kind of nationification they have if he is a Jew. I can be mistaken, but Hitler also had Jewish blood. This means absolutely nothing. The wise Jewish people says that the most ardent anti -Semites are usually Jews. "The family is not without a freak," as we say. "

“If you want to know what will happen in America, someone needs to talk to? We must talk with Jews, of course. Of course! " - And this said the official representative of the Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova on the air of Vladimir Solovyov.

A big fan of anti -Semitic jokes is Vladimir Putin. “I was shown some kind of photo from the Internet, where he is no longer Anatoly Borisovich Chubais, but Moshe Israilevich lives there,” for example, he commented on the emigration of Chubais in Israel. And here is another quote from Putin. “I have many Jewish friends since childhood,” he said , speaking at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. - They say: "Zelensky is not a Jew, this is a shame of the Jewish people."

Representatives of Hamas - an organization recognized as terrorist in most European countries - periodically come to Moscow for a high level: so, in 2022 they were accepted by Sergey Lavrov. At the end of October, after Hamas attacked Israel, their delegation came to Moscow again. Zakharova, announcing the meeting, called Hamas "Palestinian movement." According to the BBC , the meeting was attended by one of the leaders of the organization of Abu Marzuk, who insisted on the right to "resist the Zionist occupation by all available means." “The delegation of the movement highly appreciated the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the efforts of active Russian diplomacy,” representatives of Hamas said.

Information war

Another reason for anti -Semitism in Russia and the world that many historians pay attention to is an information war that Israel is more likely to lose.

“True information in foreign sources is far from the volume in which it is in Hebrew,” says historian Vlad Telman, who serves in the IDF. “Moreover, this information appears slowly.”

The historian cites an example of an attack on Al-Ahli's hospital in Gaza on October 17, 2023.

“A huge number of world media began to shout that the Jews were to blame,” he recalls. - Israel first checked the information and only after half an hour was able to answer. It was proved that the Islamic jihad was to blame, but it doesn’t matter, through all the channels they already said that it was Israel, and everyone grabbed the heart. ”

Another example of a lie about Israeli attacks on the gas sector in the media is the statements that the Israeli army allegedly attacks medical personnel in the al-Shifa hospital. Later, the British edition of the BBC made an official apology for the publication of incorrect information.

“It is important to take into account that in Israel, in order to show the dead, the permission of relatives is needed,” says Telman. - This is not always possible, the more quickly. Therefore, it is more difficult to show all sorts of atrocities. For example, a video with a boiled woman, raped, is still not clear who she is. First you need to find out whose relative she is, and then get permission. It will be possible to publish evidence only if such a permit is [received]. ”

"From here you need to bring down"

“The only thing we can do now is to be prepared,” says Rabbi Josef Kherson, the founder of the Russian-speaking community Jewish Point in Tel Aviv. - It's like in a joke, when God declares the flood three days later, and the rabbi says to the Jews: “I have two news - good and bad. Bad that after three days the flood. Good - you have three days to learn how to breathe under water. " The question is to what extent we are approaching the surge of anti -Semitism. While the foci are small, we can stop them. When it gets worse, no one can help, except ourselves. I know that during the Holocaust there were some rabbis who told the Jews soothing words. I think this is a crime. Say at the right time “you need to blame from here”, for sure a certain number of lives would be saved. My basic conclusion is that if God forbid, someday my people is in a similar situation, I will not wait for the last moment. I will immediately say that it is dangerous to Jews, and in the case of modern Russia I already said this. ”