A Minsk city court found Dr. Albert Lavrenev not guilty on December 1, 1997 due to a lack of sufficient evidence to prove the allegtion that he caused the death of his elderly neighbor. While Levrenev remains out of jail, the court's decision is now being appealed by the prosecutor. During his imprisonment, Dr. Lavrenev claims that he was subject to antisemitic statements by a prison official. He also asserts he was accused of this crime by the neighbor's son solely becuase he is Jewish.
(Source: Leonid Stonov, UCSJ Director of International Bureaus and Activities, December 1, 1997)
For more details on the case, see May 1997 below
Because of her Jewish identity, the Belarussian government has refused to acknowledge the heroic status of a brave partisan who fought against the Nazis. Commonly accepted canards about the Holocaust and Zionism in Belarus are still preventing the official recognition of Masha Bruskina, who was hanged in Minsk on October 26, 1941, accused of shooting German soldiers. Masha and two other partisans were the victims of the first public execution of resistance fighters by the Nazis in the Soviet Union. Masha's fellow partisans, who were not Jewish, were later glorified as heroes of the Soviet Union, yet the regime refused to recognize Masha's equal bravery.
On the 56th anniversary of her death, Masha has not yet gained the recognition she deserves. "Despite the weight of overwhelming evidence, the testimony of eyewitnesses, the confirmation of respected scholars like Nechama Tek of the University of Connecticut and Daniel Weiss of Johns Hopkins University, Masha's homeland denies her identity. She may be recognized elsewhere, but in Minsk, Belarus, where she fought and for whom she died, she is unknown. The official explanation is that the girl in the photograph is someone else. The case of Masha Bruskina illustrates both the difficulty and necessity of dispelling the myth that Jews did not resist during the Holocaust." Revisionist historical attitudes toward the Holocaust and Jewish resistance is a key index of antisemitism.
(UCSJ summary, Washington Jewish Week, Sherie Silverman, October 30, 1997)
The South Florida Conference is investigating complaints that regular phone calls from the U.S. to the Jewish community in Mogilev are being interrupted and cut off in mid-conversation. Reports are also being received that mail sent from Belarus either never arrives or arrives opened. The cousin of Dr. Albert Lavrenev, whose court case is under investigation by legal experts and human rights activists because of its antisemitic overtones, reports difficulties in calling Lavrenev's wife in Minsk. The phone appears to be busy when there has been no one on the line. These difficulties could be the result of technical problems; however, the Soviet-style pattern of the difficulties is suspect.
(UCSJ summary, source: Hinda Cantor, Chair, UCSJ Member Council, South Florida Conference, October 15, 1997)
During a conversation with representatives of the Jewish community at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko promised, "You will not become exiles from this land." But when asked about fascist organizations and newspapers in Minsk, Lukashenko's response was full of half-truths and nonsense statements: "There is freedom of speech in Belarus. Everybody in Belarus is criticizing me that this freedom does not exist... If the 'National Liberation Armies' organize and other illegal actions carry on, the reactions will be the same... O.K., you can spread information. Our nation has grown so much wiser in the past three years, that it is impossible to lead it astray. O.K. You can tell everything which you consider necessary. There will be swastikas, and there will be slogans..."
(UCSJ summary, Belarus Report, UCSJ Correspondent Dr. Yakov Basin, September 1997)
On September 14, a group of ultranationalist teenagers staged a protest at School #16 in Borisov, which is rented by the Jewish community for Sunday school. The group, which consisted mostly of high school students, attempted to prevent the students from attending classes. They displayed banners reading "No to a Jewish School" and "Stop Jude" and distributed leaflets that depicted a swastika and a Star of David being crushed by a soldier's boot. The group claims to "fight for the purity of the Belarussian people." Police were called in to halt the demonstration but did not attempt to interfere. Officials from the Israeli Embassy investigated the incident.
(UCSJ summary, Jewish Telegraph Agency, October 27, 1997)
The authoritarian and often antisemitic nature of President Alexander Lukashenko's regime is causing problems for the growing number of youth rediscovering their Jewish heritage. A Lech Lecha Center activist claims that his college forced him to join a new pro-Lukashenko youth group, the Belarussian Union of Patriotic Youth. The student says he would not have passed his final exams if he had refused to join, and thus many students in the group plan to emigrate to Israel.
(UCSJ summary, Jewish Telegraph Agency, August 15, 1997)
Contemporary accounts, which claim that Jews murdered a boy in a ritual manner in order to use his blood, are resurrecting the medieval canard that Jews use the blood of Christian babies for their ritual purposes during pre-Passover days. On April 11, 1690, a few days before the beginning of Passover, 6 year-old Gavril Belostoksky allegedly was found murdered and drained of his blood in his village of Zverki, which was at the time a Belarussian town, but is now in Polish territory. Soon thereafter, the accusation that he had been murdered by Jews who needed his blood to bake matzoth was spread throughout Belarus. The libel was bolstered in 1844 in Vladimir Dal's book, "Investigation of the Murder of Christian Babies by Jews and the Use of Their Blood." The Russian Orthodox Church canonized Gavril in the 20th century as the patron saint of sick children; he is commemorated in the beginning of each May. Needless to say, no evidence has ever been presented to support this defamation of the Jewish people.
(UCSJ summary, Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, August 10, 1997)
On July 27, 1997, Belarussian state television rebroadcast a documentary about the life and death of Gavril Belostoksky in the 17th Century, who was canonized in the 20th century by the Russian Orthodox Church as the patron saint of sick children. Throughout the program, it was insinuated that Jews had killed the child to use his blood in the making of Passover matzoth. "The documentary repeated the accusation against Jews, adding that they were the 'members of a secret fanatical sect' that centuries before had demanded that Jesus be put to death." Though this libelous charge has been discredited for almost a century, the people of Belarus were told this false version of the story as "historical truth."
(UCSJ summary, JewishTelegraph Agency, August 4, 1997)
There has been a tendency toward dragging out the registration of new Jewish organizations in Belarus, according to UCSJ correspondent Dr. Yakov Basin. The Bobruisk Orthodox Congregation was not able to re-register for more than a year. The Reform Congregation's application for registration was turned down for the second time. Previously, the Belarussian government had denied the Reform Congregation's application because it disapproved of certain elements of the congregation's charter, whereas the second denial was based on the absence of these elements. Basin reports that the disputed elements of the charter involved leasing office space to the Reform Congregation. It was explained unofficially that the city of Minsk imposed a veto on the lease, stating, "You can lease your office to anyone but the Jews."
(UCSJ summary, Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, June 1997)
On June 9, 1997, V.V. Danilov, acting director of the O.G. Cimenkov Institute, was brought from Moscow by special invitation to lead a roundtable discussion on the new political order of Belarus titled, "The Veda Knowledge on the Intersections of Geopolitics". Veda is an ancient philosophical text which describes the ideological conception of the caste order of society. Danilov, publisher of the booklet series "Aruuski put" (The Way of the Aryan Nation), raises the Jewish question: "The Jews with fire and sword imposed Christianity on us. Christianity is not the Russian religion, in fact it is Jewish... Russia is not a Christian country... We were converted to Christianity by the Jew Prince Vladimir... They call us fascists. But the Jews rule the world today. And we simply call things by their proper names...."
The conquest of political power in the country and the Aryan God-centered empire were also discussed. The three individuals in attendance who objected to the topics under discussion were criticized by the well-known antisemite Edward Skobelev, the representative from Belarussian President Lukashenko's administration and publisher of the President's information bulletin. In 1990, Skobelev proposed the use of guns to solve the "Jewish problem," and was confered the title "Honored Figure of Culture" by President Lukashenko in early 1997. Galina Ruzova, founder and main editor of the antisemitic newspaper Lichnost (Personality), cited a small portion of Danilov's Aryan publications in her coverage of the event in the article entitled "Hari-Heil, or True Aryans in Our Home."
(UCSJ summary, Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, September 1997)
According to a report by legal experts working with the Belarussian League for Human Rights, the Belarussian justice system, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Procurator's Office directly violated Part 1 of Article 5 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted on January 4, 1969 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, in its treatment of Dr. Albert Lavrenev. Dr. Lavrenev, a Belarussian citizen of Jewish origin, was arrested for allegedly the causing the death of an elderly neighbor. During his imprisonment Dr. Lavrenev claims officers told him, "You are a kike and therefore you will be imprisoned."
Dr. Lavrenev's wife claims she is constantly threatened, and out of fear for their safety sent their child to live with relatives. According to the Chair of the Belarussian League for Human Rights, Dr. Lavrenev was detained despite an alibi and a lack of evidence connecting him to the crime. "I am sure that Dr. Lavrenev is in custody without any judicial grounds, especially since he has an alibi. Investigators and the courts paid absolutely no attention to his alibi. His health is now in great danger. There is no sense in keeping him in custody, but Belarussian authorities in fact continue to keep him in torturous conditions... I continue to appeal to the whole world about Lavrenev's case and about the illegal activities of the Belarussian Procurators and courts."
(UCSJ summary, Correspondence Evgeny Novikov, Chairman, Belarus League of Human Rights, May 21, 1997)
The problem of antisemitism in Belarus continues with little or no progress made in the past few months. UCSJ correspondent Yakov Basin reports, "The authorities refuse to converse with the Jewish community about the existence of the Jewish problem in Belarus. President Lukashenko's administration did not give a single response to the statements of the Jewish community regarding manifestations of antisemitism and the growth of fascist danger. The community did not receive a logical explanation to the story behind the arson of the dacha of the chief editor of the Jewish newspaper Aviv, Mikhail Nordshtein, and the appearance of swastikas and the letters 'SS' on the doors of his apartment, drawn by unknown individuals (January 1-2, 1997). The guilty, as was to be expected, have not been revealed, and the press has taken a position of silence. The author of the single report on this incident, Russian NTV correspondent Alexander Stupnikov, was expelled from the borders of the republic."
(Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, May 2, 1997)
In early May, nine tombstones were desecrated in a Jewish cemetery in Mogilev. After receiving a letter expressing the distress of the Jewish community, the mayor responded to the incident by funding the restoration of the nine desecrated tombstones, along with seven others in need of repairs.
(USCJ summary,News Watch, National Conference on Soviet Jewry, May 1997)
"A Jewish cemetery in Vitebsk was desecrated on May 1, 1997; several tombstones were destroyed along the central alley."
(Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, August 10, 1997)
"During the Russian Orthodox holiday 'the Night of Ivan Kupala' in Gomel, several Jewish and Russian tombstones in the local cemetery were destroyed."
(Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, August 10, 1997)
Decree #309, signed on April 9, 1997 by the Council of Ministers of Belarus, could potentially cause serious problems for all religious groups, including Jews. Provisions of the document include:
Article 2.4. The organized religious education of children and adults is forbidden;
2.5. Religious organizations are allowed to use public buildings (community centers, sports centers, etc., irrespective of to whom they belong) only under the control of rules established by law;
2.6. The government should take measures to stop the activity of religious organizations (the registration of whose charter was turned down, but they continue to preach their dogmas);
2.7. Camps for children and youth, where religious dogmas are preached, must not exist.
One local human rights monitor knows of no cases where the decree has been implemented. Meanwhile, the Belarussian Supreme Soviet is drafting a more restrictive law on religion.
(UCSJ summary, Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, June 1997)
"On April 17, 1997, on the wall of the building where the Jewish cultural center is housed, there appeared a sign "Death to Zhidy (Kikes)."
(Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, August 10, 1997)
According to unofficial accounts, the head of the Belarussian Department of Energy refused to receive a lawyer from a commercial organization by saying, "I don't want to smell Jews here".
(UCSJ summary, Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, May 2, 1997)
One of the more widely circulated and more popular Belarussian newspapers, Narodnaya Gazeta (National Paper), revealed a clear antisemitic bias in its article about Boris Nemtsov, the new Vice Premier of Russia, who is of Jewish origin.
(UCSJ summary, Belarus Report, Dr.Yakov Basin, May 2, 1997)
According to an article published in the April 19, 1997 issue of Narodnaya Volya (National Will), Victor Sheiman, the State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, criticized former Prosecutor General Vasiliy Kapitan for defending an Israeli citizen.
(UCSJ summary, Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, May 2, 1997)
A fearful Jewish population is reacting to the uneasy political climate in a manner similar to the rest of the country's citizens - with social apathy. Jewish activist Yevgeny Rabinovich claims, "Jews are not involved in politics and do not react to what is going on" in Belarus. Some recent events include a crackdown on opposition rallies in Minsk, and the beating and arrest of demonstrators who opposed a proposed alliance between Russia and Belarus. These events have brought President Alexander Lukashenko under attack by human rights activists. "While Lukashenko vows to fight any grass roots antisemitism, his increasing authoritarianism makes it difficult for him to deal with the rise of minority rights movements."
(UCSJ summary, JTA, April 11, 1997)
Metropolitan Filaret responded to a complaint about the sale of antisemitic materials in his church. A Minsk teacher wrote in the newspaper Sovietskaya Belorussia (Soviet Belarussia), "Last time I was not able to go to the cathedral where Metropolitan Filaret officiates, since at the book kiosk of the church a man offered 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion', which sows discord among people." The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church responded by saying, "Yes, truly, it happens that controversial, questionable books are available. All the more so because this book does not have any relationship to theology or religious practice, and to sell the 'Protocols' in churches is inappropriate; I have already alerted the Church Council's attention to the matter."
(UCSJ summary, Sovietskaya Belarussiya [Soviet Belarussia], issue #73, April 19, 1997)
A letter to the editor in the opposition newspaper Imya (Name), falsely accuses Jews of aggression against Russian demonstrators outside Soviet television headquarters in October 1993. The writer of the letter explicitly insults Irina Khalip, assistant to the paper's editor, whose mother is Jewish, in this highly sensational piece. "Your kind fired their machine guns on unarmed, I repeat, unarmed people near your favorite Ostankino on October 3, 1993. People were fired upon, like rabbits, in an open space, with two sides... Your 'democrats' from 'Beitar' (a Jewish paramilitary organization, located in the territory of the former Soviet Union) shot at the wounded, and having finished them off, they danced their religious dances on Russian blood."
(UCSJ summary, Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, May 2, 1997)
The growing antisemitism in Belarus is best explained by Belarussian folklore. The following satirical quatrain by Paval Lud was published in the newspaper Svobodye novosti plus (The Free News Plus):
"One oracle told the truth to the Belarussian people,
He explained who ruins life in Belarus:
It is not those who plow and sow,
But the children of Moses
Always get in our way."
(UCSJ summary, Belarus Report, Dr. Yakov Basin, September 1997)
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Dr. Basin reports that the left-wing mass media has displayed an overt antisemitic orientation in connection with treaty negotiations between Russia and Belarus and in its attitude toward Zionism:
"What benefits Israel benefits the majority of Jewish capital, professing a misanthropic, racist ideology - Zionism. The goal of the Zionists consists in the establishment of financial and political control of the world through their people in governments, business spheres, by way of the banking and exchange markets, through the submissive mass media. What a gigantic monopoly by a small circle of wealthy Jews who have developed a passion for the idea of enrichment (they have one god - the dollar)."
(Lichnost [Personality] "Apostle of Freedom in Fascist Belarus", April 1997)
"Thus, it is not a secret that major Jewish capital financed the concentration camps for Jews in Hitler's Germany. Not one of the wealthy Jews in Germany suffered damage! On the other hand, the simple, and therefore useless, Jews were interned and placed in the concentration camps and the ghettos, so that afterward the wealthy Jews could, having carried out 'universal weeping', demand compensation from the world (territory for the surviving) as those 'most suffered' under Hitler. I would say that Zionists exploited the Fascists in their mercenary aims.... There are existing documents (including the video documentaries of the Zionist Congresses), where the universal plot was developed in detail by the men with black hair and payesses... On the territory of the occupied Palestine, the Zionists used the same methods which were used by German fascists in World War II."
(Lichnost [Personality] "Apostle of Freedom in Fascist Belarus", April 1997)
"According to non-verified information, the forces of Beitar (the Israeli paramilitary organization) plan in the near future to attempt to assassinate the Belarussian President. According to the source of the information , they are considering two methods: the sniper-gun and psychological destruction."
(Lichnost [Personality], "The Fairy Tale about Zenon the Liberator and Green Snake the Temptor," issue #13-14, 1997)
"Why does the Zionist mass media come from bitterness, sprinkle small town saliva and insult their opponents with regard to this treaty? After all, they always supported Yeltsin and Chernomyrdin! There is one single ideal resolution to the Jewish matter -- that is the FULL EXILE OF THE JEWS FROM RUSSIAN TERRITORY."
(Russian newspaper widely circulated in Belarus, Nashe Otechestvo [Our Fatherland], issue #68, 1997)
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Editor: Maureen Greenwood
Editorial Assistant: Katherine Downey
Translator: Lena Cochran
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