Primorye Rabbi, U.S. national Yisroel Silberstein cannot enter Russia for five years, spokesman for the Russian Federal Migration Service Konstantin Poltoranin told Interfax.

“According to the current migration legislation, a foreign national who was expelled from the Russian territory at a court order, cannot enter Russia for five years,” Poltoranin said.

“There are no political and religious restrictions in this case,” he said. “There is no religious discrimination. We do not discriminate against people in line with their religion when we register them with migration authorities,” he added.

Silberstein violated Russia’s migration laws, he noted. “Regretfully, foreign nationals often neglect Russian laws, in particular concerning migration,” Poltoranin said.

According to earlier reports, the Pervorechensk district court of Vladivostok ordered that Silberstein leave Russia, because the goals which he specified in his visa, fell short of his real activity.

According to media reports, Silberstein was issued a three-month visa for the development of cultural ties; however, it was established that he regularly conducted services with Torah reading and prayers, which requires a different visa.

Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar has called the court ruling unfair and said that the Jewish community will protest it.

“As for the court ruling, we find it unfair and naturally we will protest it with higher instances. I hope that the law will take the upper hand at the federal level,” he told Interfax-Religion.

(Source: Interfax)