News

Russian Jewish community waiting for explanation of Vasilyeva's attitude to Stalin era

Moscow, August 22, Interfax - The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FJCR) has urged the new education minister Olga Vasilyeva to clarify her attitude to the era of terror under Stalin.

"I hope for a clarification of the matter. I believe it is very important for the new minister to explain her attitude and not leave room for ambiguity because this is vital not only for education in Russia but for the future of the country in general," head of the FJCR PR department Boruch Gorin told Interfax-Religion on Monday.

He said that in the course of the public debate on Vasilyeva's appointment quotations have cropped up "which being torn out of context don't add optimism about the new education minister."

"If talk of the efficiency of the Stalin period and the exaggeration of the ideas of the atmosphere of terror that existed then are in question, this talk is very familiar to me because this is the style of talk of deniers of the Holocaust - that allegedly in reality someone sometimes engaged in the Holocaust but it was not so often, not so much and not too bad. And try to prove the opposite to them. The deniers of Holocaust usually claim that there are no thousands of witnesses who remember not so much the numbers and figures, but what happened is the atmosphere of terror and persecution of a group of people," Gorin said.

"Therefore any attempts to show greater understanding for the Stalin era as it often happens - the time was like that, etc - scare me greatly because I believe that the Stalin era was deadly for Russia. A whole class of people was destroyed. Free thought and post-revolutionary enthusiasm were destroyed and replaced by fear of terror," Gorin said.

He said that if Vasilyeva truly said what was published in the media on the subject "and we have not heard refutations, then it is a bad sign."

"As far as her organizational skills, her understanding of problems of education are concerned, I cannot say anything about them. I don't know her at all. I don't know her work experience. We will see," Gorin said.

Print this page

Home

News

.	Customize latest news

• Lawyers for defrocked priest Sergy to appeal conviction 30 November 2021, 18:13
• Former schema-hegumen Sergy sentenced to 3.5 years in prison (updated) 30 November 2021, 17:16
• Patriarch Kirill believes that the Kingdom of Heaven is bigger than cosmos 30 November 2021, 11:18
• Jews of Russia against celebrating Hanukkah together with Christmas in mixed families 30 November 2021, 11:12
• The anti-Covid restrictions on Hanukkah in Russia have been slightly relaxed 30 November 2021, 11:02
• Hermitage cat Seraphima goes to work in the Peter and Paul Cathedral 30 November 2021, 10:48
• Patriarch Kirill invited to Kazakhstan to Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions 26 November 2021, 16:18
• Some "missionaries" of an extremist organization banned in the Russia convicted in Saratov 26 November 2021, 16:14
• The head of Belarusian Orthodox Church urged to treat migrants as "aliens" 24 November 2021, 15:39
• Rabbi Lazar concerned that the pandemic sometimes considered a Jewish conspiracy 24 November 2021, 15:33
• Patriarch Kirill describes ecclesiastical split in Ukraine as his personal woe 22 November 2021, 19:33
• Covid-19 pandemic won't last long, but will allow humanity to critically assess its capabilities - Patriarch Kirill 22 November 2021, 16:52
• Patriarch Kirill views Russia as leader of free world 22 November 2021, 16:35
• Russian Orthodox Church denies U.S. claims of violations of religious freedom in Russia 22 November 2021, 11:05
• Problem of church schism in Ukraine may be resolved through dialogue - Patriarch Kirill 22 November 2021, 11:02
• Putin bestows Order of St. Andrew on Patriarch Kirill, notes highest regard to him in Russia, abroad 22 November 2021, 10:54
• Jehovah's Witnesses elders detained in Russia's Astrakhan Region 18 November 2021, 16:45
• Court in Moscow fines Muz-TV 1 mln rubles for propaganda of homosexuality among minors 17 November 2021, 15:40
• Website of Side by Side festival blocked for forming positive attitude toward LGBT content 17 November 2021, 15:38
• Imam and one more person killed in Dagestani village shooting 12 November 2021, 20:25
• Prosecution service detects justification of terrorism, extremism in materials of Memorial human rights center 12 November 2021, 17:59
• Cell of Nurjular extremist organization, banned in Russia, shut down in Tatarstan 12 November 2021, 17:09
• The Russian synagogues didn't turn off the lights until morning In memory of the Kristallnacht 10 November 2021, 10:14
• Russian PM satisfied with Pope's attitude to Moscow's views on int'l issues 09 November 2021, 21:55
• MP does not rule out eventual genomic registration of all Russians 04 November 2021, 10:29
• Russian Church warns against turning vaccination into factor of national division 02 November 2021, 19:55
• FJCR president calls for imposing restrictions on those who don't want to get vaccinated 02 November 2021, 16:00
• Russian Orthodox Church calls on G20 countries to drop differences over pandemic challenges 01 November 2021, 12:35
• The court of St. Petersburg refused to punish the participant of a candid photo shoot against the background of St. Isaac's Cathedral 01 November 2021, 11:04
• FJCR president estimates number of Russian Jews at 1 mln 29 October 2021, 10:45

Other news