Russia threatens to close offices of Jewish agency in Moscow

The request of the Ministry of Russian justice aimed at closing the Jewish agency indicates an unprecedented degradation of Russian-Israeli bilateral relations.

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The preliminary hearing on Wednesday July 27, before a court in Moscow, confirmed the determination of the Russian Ministry of Justice. The liquidation of the Russian branch of the Jewish agency, an Israeli government body responsible for organizing Alya – Jewish immigration to Israel – could be decided in the fall. The judicial harassment which strikes the Jewish agency, and other organizations of the Jewish community of Russia, has been unprecedented since the end of the USSR. These government signals recall bad memories to the hundreds of thousands of Russian Jews, who suffered state anti -Semitism during the Soviet era. The term “refuznik” then designated those who tried to emigrate to Israel and became the target of endless administrative persecution.

The surprise is in size for many Russian Jews, who thought these risks linked to a bygone era. “Vladimir Putin was considered by many Jews in Russia as a shield. It is clear that the treatment of Jews in Russia has never been as positive as in Putin in many ways. With the rise of” siloviki ” [Managers of security structures], Russian anti-Semitism comes out of the closet in a way, and a line closer to the enemies of Israel is adopted “, deciphers Milan Czerny, researcher specialist in Russian-Israeli relations. “We can see that openly anti -Semitic statements have been made since the start of the war [in Ukraine] by [Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei] Lavrov or in the media. Taking the Jewish organizations is part of the continuity of This point of view, “continues the researcher.

brain leak

The Ministry of Justice has not explained the nature of the administrative offenses which he criticizes for the Jewish agency. But articles in Russian media close to the Ministry of Defense accuse the body of promoting brains leak towards Israel. Others mocked the departure of many stars of the show business and a rich elite and devoid of loyalty, bringing up up to date of old anti-Semitic stereotypes.

Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, on February 24, Israel has become one of the main destinations of a new wave of emigration, an exodus that included many employees in the high technology sector Russian. About 16,000 Russian nationals have registered as immigrants in Israel since the start of the war. Or a tripling compared to the year 2021. Figure to which must be added 34,000 Russian nationals entered as tourists.