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March 4, 2005/Adar I 23 5765, Volume 57, No. 27
Russian Jews worry about democracy, anti-semitism
LEV KRICHEVSKY
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
MOSCOW - Though relations between Russia and the United States have come a long way since the fall of communism, in some ways the U.S.-Russian summit in Slovakia harkened back to the years when the talks between the two superpowers were marred by differences over democracy and human rights.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin's re-election almost a year ago, the country has moved toward authoritarianism, and away from integration with the West.
The slide from democracy is growing - efforts that include the sidelining of any political opposition to Putin, the bid by the Kremlin to create a single-party hegemony and the end of direct popular voting.
Despite these troubling trends, however, until last week it seemed Washington would continue to work with Putin because of Russia's importance as an ally in the war on terror.
But Russia's domestic issues figured fairly high on the agenda at the Feb. 24 summit in Bratislava.
Responding to Washington's concerns about Moscow's commitment to democratic principles - such as the rule of law, protection of minorities and a commitment to political debate - Putin denied that Russia has rolled back any post-Soviet democratic freedoms.
"Russia has made its choice in favor of democracy," he said, repeating his commitment to the universal principles that under gird all democracies by saying Russia is not going to become "any kind of special Russian democracy."
Back at home his remarks were taken with a grain of salt by many Russians - Jews among them - who say Putin is only paying lip service to democracy. His real policies, those critics say, have little to do with the principles he proclaims.
"Here we go again," said Dmitriy Aronovich, a middle-aged Muscovite at a Moscow JCC the day after the Bush-Putin summit. "It's like in the Soviet times. You say one thing, and do almost the opposite."
One of the issues Bush raised at the summit was the position of minorities in Russia. Many Jewish officials in the United States are worried about a recent public discussion in Russia about the role Jews themselves play in causing Russian anti-Semitism.
While Putin and Russian officials dislike what they see as U.S. meddling in their internal affairs, some Russian Jewish activists believe the safety and well being of Russian Jews are, to a great extent, in the hands of policy-makers in Washington.
If questions of democracy are included in future summits, Russian Jews are divided on whether such discussions will benefit them. Some worry that such discussions, which irritate Putin, might backfire.
However, a leading Moscow rabbi thinks America must continue to press Russia.
"Russian Jews are much more concerned with the situation in Russia than President Bush is," Pinches Goldschmidt, Moscow's chief rabbi, said. "I speak to people, and people are very much concerned" about the country's general political climate.
The Federation of Jewish Communities is Russia's largest and most politically influential Jewish group. It's known to have good relations with the Kremlin.
The federation's spokesman, Boruch Gorin, says he, too, welcomes Western democracies' attempts to correct Russia if it "allows a rollback from democracy."
But, he warns, such criticism could prove counterproductive. "For the masses, when the West isn't happy with Russia that would be the best proof that Russia is doing the right thing," he says.
"This is the reality, and one has to take this into account. Such issues have to be treated in a delicate way."
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