SYNAGOGUE
BURNED IN
ARKHANGELSK
Interfax-Religiia,
13
April 2020
The
Jewish cultural
center "North Star" in Arkhangelsk was set on fire in the night
of
Sunday-Monday. An investigation is under way, the press service
of the regional
department of the emergency ministry reported.
The
blaze broke out
at 3:46 Moscow time. Eyewitnesses reported the fire and the
nearest fire and
rescue department was immediately dispatched.
"The
flame was
stopped at the entrance by groups from the cultural center.
Glass and a door
were damaged there and 4 square meters of the entry were covered
with soot. The
fire was started using tires and fuel," the press service noted.
This
synagogue has
already been subjected to attack several times. In April 2015,
when the
building was being constructed, it was struck with automatic
weapon's fire and antisemitic
slogans were left on the building. In 2016, unidentified persons
threw a bottle
with a Molotov cocktail at the building under construction, but
quick reaction
by security prevented ignition.
The
North Star, the
northernmost synagogue in Russia, was opened in Arkhangelsk in
the autumn of
2018. The cornerstone was laid in June 2010 by the chief rabbi
of Russia, Berl
Lazar. (tr. by PDS, posted 13 April 2020)
F.E.O.R.
CALLS ARSON
OF SYNAGOGUE IN ARKHANGELSK DETESTABLE
Interfax-Religiia,
13
April 2020
The
president of the
Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FEOR), Alexander
Boroda, condemned
the arson of a synagogue in Arkhangelsk and he called it a crime
against the
whole of society that is experiencing a difficult time.
"It is
an
absolutely heinous act. There is no need to explain to anybody
that vandalism
is despicable and does not have the right to exist in a
civilized world,"
Boroda told Interfax on Monday.
The
rabbi noted that
it is necessary to investigate the event carefully and in
detail. "The act
is of a clearly antisemitic nature and it is not simply arson of
a synagogue
but in the direct sense the incitement of inter-religious and
inter-ethnic
hatred. Now is a difficult time for everybody and it demands
increased
responsibility from society. Only by relying on mutual help is
it possible to
overcome the difficulties and to save tens of thousands of
lives," the
leader of the Jewish community thinks.
In his
opinion, arson
of a synagogue is "an act against all people, regardless of
their
nationality and religious confession. It affirms hatred and
evil, which are
destructive, not creative, forces."
Boroda
expressed
confidence that specially authorized bodies will deal with the
investigation
with all intensity and undertake further steps. "We are proud
that we live
in a country where the public display of xenophobia is rare, but
we must not lose
vigilance and we must do everything that is within our power so
that such a
thing is not repeated," the rabbi summed up.
The
North Star Jewish
cultural center in Arkhangelsk was set on fire in the night of
Monday. This
synagogue has already been subjected to attack more than once:
in April 2015,
when it was being built, the building was shot up with an
automatic weapon and antisemitic
slogans were left on the building and in 2016, unidentified
persons threw a
bottle with a Molotov cocktail into the building under
construction.
The
northernmost
synagogue in Russia, North Star was opened in Arkhangelsk in the
autumn of
2018. (tr. by PDS, posted 13 April 2020)
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