Three anti-Semitic attacks reported in Russia

Men paint swastikas on synagogue walls; anti-Jewish slogans scrawled on Holocaust memorial.

By AP, JPOST.COM STAFF
anti semitism 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
anti semitism 224.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Three attacks in the last two weeks, including a raid on a synagogue and desecration of a memorial to Holocaust victims, were reported by Russia's Jewish community on Thursday. In Ulyanovsk, a group of about a dozen young men painted swastikas Tuesday on the walls of a synagogue and cursed at members inside, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia said. In Volgograd, anti-Semitic slogans were scrawled on a memorial to Holocaust victims Sunday, the group said. Last week, several young men burst into a synagogue in Nizhny Novgorod, throwing religious books out a window and beating up a security guard, it said. All three cities are in western Russia. The federation said it was concerned about the rise in attacks targeting Jews, calling it part of "a recent surge in anti-Semitic manifestations" in Russia. According to a government-Jewish Agency report that was be presented at Sunday's cabinet meeting, Russia has seen a recent rise in anti-Semitic incidents alongside an increase in xenophobia and nationalist sentiments. According to varying estimates, between 300,000 and 1.5 million Jews live in Russia. Haviv Rettig contributed to this report