Introduction

Belarus (also known as Byelorussia) is located on the western edge of the former Soviet Union. Russia borders it to the east and northeast, Latvia and Lithuania to the northwest, Ukraine to the south, and Poland to the west. Its population numbers about 10.5 million, comprising a Belarussian majority and Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, and Jewish minorities. Belarus has struggled financially as it relies on Russia and other nations for many of its resources and products. The state still owns many of the enterprises in Belarus, and state factories have cut back on production. Furthermore, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster continues to adversely affect agricultural production. Inflation exceeds 800%; Belarussians have among the lowest standards of living of the former Soviet states. Belarus has very strong cultural and political ties to Russia, and many Belarussians favor reuniting with Russia. President Alexander Lukashenko, an avowed admirer of Hitler and Zhirinovsky, has very broad state powers and has placed several of his allies at the heads of state enterprises, including the media outlets.

Jewish Life

About 90,000 Jews live in Belarus today, though some estimates place this figure at 120,000, as some people who have hidden their Jewish identities are now revealing themselves as Jews. There are fourteen synagogues, sixteen Sunday schools, several Hebrew classes, and a Jewish University in the capital city of Minsk. Jewish presses produce several papers and journals. The Belarussian Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities is very active, and it recently obtained permission to construct a community center in Minsk. Recently, community leaders found it necessary to organize and call upon President Lukashenko to take a firm stand against antisemitism. Antisemitism and the Government Response

According to Yakov Basin, a leader of Minsk's Jewish community, most Belarussians pretend that Jews have never lived in their country. The increasing authoritarianism in Belarus-a return to Soviet-style practices-are very threatening to the Jewish community. On January 1, 1997, vandals torched the summerhouse of Michael Nordstein, editor of the Jewish newspaper Aviv. The next day, Nordstein's apartment door was painted with swastikas and SS emblems. Nordstein and his wife were preparing to leave for Israel at the time. (For more on this case, see Basin's essay following this chapter.)

In response to these acts, the Belarussian Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities issued a statement on antisemitism. It stated that the Jews have become "concerned with numerous incidents of ethnic hostility, antisemitism among them." It also declared that "Jews will be living on this land as they have for centuries," and urged the government to oppose these hate groups. It concluded that, "National dignity and the safety of Jews, and of all other people of Belarus, must be protected." (See full text of the letter following this chapter) While there have been few reports of physical assaults on Jews in Belarus, there has been an explosion of antisemitic literature and programming since Belarus became an independent country. Several publications with substantial readerships are openly antisemitic, printing articles on "world Zionist conspiracies" and urging for renewal of pogroms. Jewish cemeteries have been desecrated, and vandals have spray-painted swastikas and other Nazi emblems in the cities. Nationalist and fascist political parties are strong, particularly in eastern Belarus, and they operate without government interference. Several extremist groups have emerged since Belarus' independence from the Soviet Union. Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party and Aleksandr Barkashov's Russian National Unity Party (both Russian nationalistic factions) have substantial followings in Belarus and operate free of government interference. "Home-grown" fascist groups include the National Democratic Party, the Belarussian Freedom Party, the Belaruskae Zgurtavan'e Vaiskoutsev (Belarussian Union of Servicemen), and Slavyansky Sokoly (Slavonic Falcons). One of the most dynamic of these factions is Pravy Revansh (Right Revenge). Its leader, poet Slavomir Adamnovich, is quoted as saying, "If defending the nation and the fatherland is a sign of fascism, then I am a fascist." -Anti-Defamation League (ADL) 1996 Report Antisemitic sentiment, including the infamous "blood libel", has also emerged from within the Russian Orthodox Church. Church publications have accused Jews of killing Belarussians and using their blood in religious rituals. In this context, Belarussians have bestowed sainthood upon a child named Gabriel because he was murdered in the seventeenth century, allegedly by Jews. Government response to this epidemic has been close to non-existent. On the positive side, regional authorities in Gomel provided financial aid to the local Jewish community to restore 94 vandalized gravestones. Elsewhere, local officials have participated in Holocaust memorial ceremonies. In May 1995, Minsk hosted an international conference entitled "Victory over Fascism and the Future of Civilization," in which Belarussian academics recognized the threats that fascism and revisionist history posed to modern society. -ADL Report But on the whole, protests from the Jewish community are rarely heeded, and some members of Lukashenko's cabinet-including his Foreign Minister-are renowned antisemites. Lukashenko himself has openly praised Zhirinovsky and once told a German newspaper that he admired Hitler's governing style. The statement received worldwide attention, and Lukashenko was condemned by the state of Israel, which has diplomatic ties with Belarus. State funds have gone to nationalist arts festivals that excluded Jewish participation, while similar Jewish activities are refused funding.

Selected Antisemitic Incidents

In January 1995, the slogan "Beat the Jews!" was painted on a wall near the Ma'avar Jewish Day School. Three months later, swastikas and other antisemitic slogans were painted on the school's wall.- the American Association of Jews from the Former Soviet Union (AAJFSU)

In August 1995, Minsk city authorities announced plans to construct a sport field on the site of the former Jewish ghetto, where thousands of Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. In Mogilev, city officials refused to return two pre-Soviet synagogues to the community; they are occupied by sporting institutions. And in 1995 in Brest, a street was paved with marble and granite taken from a razed Jewish cemetery. -AAJFSU

In November 1995, vandals spray-painted "Don't vote for the Zhids! Zhids, get out of our country!" on the wall of a Minsk apartment building. Some voters received pamphlets that implored them to not vote for Olga Mikhaylovna, a Jewish candidate: "So, will we vote for the children of Ivan or the children of Abraham?" -Israeli Consulate Bulletin, December 1995

Human Rights

Lukashenko has increasingly concentrated political power within his office since his election in 1994. He dissolved the Parliament in November 1996, and he controls the judiciary. Lukashenko also controls the KGB and the police, using these forces to monitor or stifle his political opponents. And there have been many international reports of rigged elections and referenda. Lukashenko further controls the media, enhancing his ability to manipulate public opinion. The government has acted to repress opposition on several occasions. On February 14, 1997, at least 30 students were arrested after they demonstrated against Lukashenko's government and petitioned the embassies of western nations to criticize Belarus authoritarianism. On March 2, 1997, 16 people were arrested for demonstrating against Lukashenko's pro-Russian policies. The chair of the Belarussian Helsinki Committee recently reported that Belarus is "on a par with Iran or Iraq" in terms of its failure to protect human rights. Belarus routinely violates its citizens' freedoms of speech, assembly, and reception of information, and it does not respect the presumption of innocence or equality before the law. Foreign correspondents have been warned against portraying the state negatively in their reports. Prisoners and detainees are often beaten, and the police and guards who perpetrate these acts are very rarely punished. Prisons are usually overcrowded and fertile for the spread of disease. Persons may be detained by the police for up to ten days before they are charged with a crime, and some wait as long as 18 months before they are brought to trial-such is the case of two opposition leaders, who are not permitted to leave Minsk until after their ever-postponed trials. Detainees have been coerced into signing confessions, often with limited or no professional consultation. Defendants may appeal their convictions, but they cannot testify at their own appellate hearings. Consequently, few convictions are overturned on appeal. In one case a news editor was detained after he served his sentence and then was re-sentenced; the judge was reportedly pressured into doing so by the executive branch because the first sentence was too lenient.

History of Jews in Belarus

Jews first settled in the area of Belarus in the fifteenth century, when Poland and Lithuania ruled the territory. Jews were confined to this area, which was part of the Pale of Settlement. Belarus became part of Russia in the eighteenth century. A government census estimated that 62,800 Jews lived in Belarus in 1766; this number increased to 225,725 in 1847 and 724,548 in 1897, when Jews made up 13% of the total population. Jewish life flourished culturally and socially, particularly in the cities of Minsk, Pinsk, Vitebsk and Gomel. But the situation changed drastically under the Soviet regime; Jewish activity ground to a halt and many Jewish leaders were exiled to Russia's interior.

Conclusion

Belarus has a large, active, and vibrant Jewish population. But these Jews have increasingly come under attack and suspicion, as antisemitism has swiftly gained influence throughout the nation. There is a growing tension within Belarussian society; even the medieval blood libel charges have been revived. What is most odious about the situation is that few if any people from outside the Jewish community are standing up to the wild accusations and vandalism. The state has been conspicuously tolerant of antisemitic activity, allowing open and uncontested presentations of antisemitic rhetoric. Under such conditions, the Belarussian Jews must be on alert.

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