The “Protecting the Future” conference that opened on Monday, 20 Marcheshvan, in Moscow, Russia is still ongoing. The goal of the conference is to discuss the fight against anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and racism. The conference began with an address from the chairwoman of the Council of the Federation of Russia, a body constituting the upper house in the Russian parliament.

The chairwoman, Valentina Matviyenko, said: “There will be no anti-Semitism and xenophobia in Russia, and the Russian authorities together with civil society will do everything that is necessary to that end.” Matviyenko is considered the third most important person in Russia after President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and as such, she is the most powerful woman in Russia.

Matviyenko noted that we live in an age “when there is no more security in the world.” Furthermore, “many radical and extremist groups including promoters of anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and different forms of intolerance toward others have the freedom to act. The Neo-Nazis are raising their heads (…) what is more worrying is that this is happening also in European states and other countries, which present themselves as having the standards of an enlightened society with democracy as well as respect for the rights and freedoms of the individual (…) to our luck, all these descriptions do not fit modern Russia,” said Matviyenko.

“Ahead of my speech today, I read the reports on the level of anti-Semitism in Russia during 2017 and the first half of 2018, and here is what they said: “We are not aware of attacks or acts of vandalism that were carried out explicitly on the basis of anti-Semitism.”

It should be noted that the report on the first half of 2018, prepared by the “Sova,” the information analysis center on behalf of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC), does mention some anti-Semitic incidents. For example, in January, unknown arsonists set fire to the car of the chairman of the Jewish community in Murmansk. In Saint Petersburg, graffiti that was sprayed on the building of the headquarters for presidential candidate, Xenia Sobchak said, “a Jew should not be president.” Also, in June, several tombstones in Voronezh’s Jewish cemetery were set on fire. The report also includes instances where anti-Semitic statements were made in Russian media. Nevertheless, the report refers to a drop in the number of anti-Semitic crimes.

Adviser to President Putin, Mikhail Fedotov also participated in the conference, as well as special representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Andrew Baker, president of the Jewish Russian Congress, Yuri Kenner, president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) and vice president of the World Jewish Congress, Michael Mirilashvili, vice president of the World Jewish Congress, Robert Singer, Chief Rabbi of Russia, Berel Lazar, Israeli Ambassador to Russia, Gary Koren, chairman of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and vice president of the World Jewish Congress, Aaron Frenkel and many other distinguished individuals.

Vice president of the World Jewish Congress, Robert Singer, read out a letter from president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, who is in the US in light of the recent terror attack in Pittsburgh. Singer reminded the participants that even today, Jewish children still do not feel safe walking the streets of major European cities.

The launching of a branch in the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress took place on the sidelines of the conference. Established in 2002, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) is a Jewish international organization that currently represents dozens of communities across Eurasian countries. The president of the congress is Michael Mirilashvili. The vice president of the EAJC, Temur Ben-Yehuda (Khikhinashvili) was also in attendance during the launch. The office in Moscow will serve as a center for the organization’s activities in Russia and will be headed by Yana-Bella Waldberg.

During his speech, president Michael Mirilashvili sent his condolences to the families of the victims in Pittsburgh and wished the wounded a speedy recovery. In continuation of the conference on combatting anti-Semitism, Mirilashvili thanked Russia’s leaders for their uncompromising condemnation of anti-Semitism and for Jewish communities and Jewish organizations operating freely in Russia. “We remember it was not always like this. But today, Russia can serve as an example in the struggle against anti-Semitism, and we hope that no geopolitical challenges will change this attitude,” he said.

Photo: Rabbi Lazar (L), Temur Ben Yehuda, Aaron Frenkel, Michael and Laura Mirilashvili

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/Photo Credit: EAJC)