FEOR called for bringing to justice the organizers of the riots in Makhachkala

The President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FEOR), Rabbi Alexander Boroda, made an appeal today, October 30, to the citizens of Russia and the country’s leadership in connection with anti-Semitic actions in the republics of the North Caucasus.

“The events of October 29 at Makhachkala airport, as well as the incidents preceding them in Nalchik, Khasavyurt and Cherkessk, clearly show that the conflict in the Middle East has already affected the lives of people in Russia and that anti-Israeli sentiment has now turned into open aggression towards even Russian Jews.” – said Alexander Boroda.

“Local authorities were unprepared for such incidents and allowed large-scale violations of law and order, mass demonstrations with open threats to Jews and Israelis who could have ended up at the Makhachkala airport,” says the address of the head of the FJC. “This can hardly be called incompetence – rather, the leadership of the republics could not and imagine that the multinational Caucasus will be engulfed in such unrest.”

According to him, “this region has historically been home to different peoples who have always lived in peace and respect.” “Understanding the responsibility entrusted to me by the Jewish community of Russia, I call on the country’s leadership and law enforcement agencies to find and most severely punish all organizers and participants of anti-Semitic actions in accordance with Russian legislation,” the appeal says. “Their actions undermine the basic foundations of our multicultural and multinational state, devalue mutual respect among representatives of different faiths of our society.”

According to the rabbi, “it is necessary to take into account that the pogromists formed their position based on information from social networks and the media – both Russian and foreign.”

“I ask that great attention be paid to how events in the Middle East are reported – this complex issue must be approached with great care and responsibility, so that people do not come to one-sided and radical views, so that they draw conclusions from humane positions, and not based on raging negative emotions,” said the FEOR president. “We need to strengthen educational activities and explain how unacceptable any manifestation of hatred is within our country.”

“The October 25 meeting of President Vladimir Putin with the heads of traditional religions showed that disunity within our country is an alien and unacceptable phenomenon,” the FEOR president is convinced. “I would like to believe that after the measures taken, no episodes of inciting interreligious hatred will be repeated.” Now, in his opinion, “the common task of representatives of all faiths is to prove and demonstrate support and mutual assistance with even greater force and in no way continue the trend of misanthropy.”

Pavel Korobov