Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday used antisemitic rhetoric during his annual end-of-year press conference, accusing “ethnic Jews” and others of attacking the Russian Orthodox Church.
Putin’s remarks came in response to a question about punitive measures taken by some European countries against the Russian Orthodox Church due to its close ties to the Kremlin. The Council of Europe recently labeled the church a propaganda arm of Putin’s regime, and several European nations have expelled church officials, citing security concerns.
“These people that are attacking the church, they are not atheists,” Putin claimed. “They are absolutely faithless people, Godless people. Well, ethnically, many of them are Jews, but you haven’t seen them visit any synagogue.”
He further described the alleged opponents of the church as people “without kin or memory, with no roots,” claiming they do not value the traditions cherished by Russians and Ukrainians alike.
Putin’s remarks were widely condemned as antisemitic, with critics drawing parallels to Soviet-era antisemitism under Josef Stalin. Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, warned of the dangerous implications of Putin’s rhetoric, especially in a society with restricted freedoms.
“This is just one example of his regime’s explicit and virulent antisemitism, which has intensified following his 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the 2023 events of October 7th,” Goldschmidt said.
He compared Putin’s comments to Stalin’s antisemitic campaigns, including the “Doctors’ Plot,” which led to the arrest and execution of Jewish leaders in the Soviet Union.
Goldschmidt, who fled Moscow in 2022 after refusing to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, called on the international community to condemn Putin’s remarks. “As a representative of Jewish communities across Europe, I urge the free world to unequivocally denounce President Putin’s dangerous propaganda before it spreads further,” he said.
Putin and other Kremlin officials have previously used antisemitic rhetoric to justify the invasion of Ukraine, labeling the country’s Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as the leader of a “neo-Nazi regime.”
Russia’s Jewish population has declined significantly in recent years. By 2021, the year before the invasion, only an estimated 150,000 Jews remained in Russia, a steep decline from previous decades. The exodus accelerated after the invasion of Ukraine, with many citing concerns about rising antisemitism and political repression.
The Russian Orthodox Church, a close ally of the Kremlin, has faced increasing criticism internationally. European nations have taken measures against the church, labeling it a tool of Kremlin propaganda.
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One Response
Actually, this is very different from the AGE-OLD TROPES you indicated in your headline.
“They are absolutely faithless people, Godless people. Well, ethnically, many of them are Jews, but you haven’t seen them visit any synagogue.”
Note that first part about how they are faithless and Godless and that last part about how you haven’t seen them visit any synagogues.