Risk Zone

Another explosion at a Moscow synagogue in the heart of the capital, a 10-minute walk from the Mayor's office and 20-minutes walk from the Kremlin, was fresh evidence that Jews still living in Russia should take special precautions; the situation is progressing from bad to worse. A paradox: Russia's powerful Jewish magnates Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Gusinsky are dividing television airtime between themselves in Russia's broad public view (in fact, ex-Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin said simply that “two Jews got into a beef, with the whole country watching the bar brawl”). At the same time, two synagogues become scenes of macabre events: a passer-by attacked by an arsonist about to set the synagogue's choir gallery afire and an explosion at a Hassidic synagogue. All this makes it clear that the legitimate power structures are unable to protect ordinary citizens wishing to profess their creed, praying for their departed relatives or offering up thanks on a festive occasion. How do the Jews occupying high offices in Russia feel about this? Do they realize that securing safety at the synagogues is much more important than winning control over a prime television channel? One thing is certain: synagogues are becoming a risk zone with the rest of society giving way to ruin and fear, paving the way for a witch-hunt, when one craves simple answers to complex questions. There is nothing new as pogroms date back centuries with Jewish quarters ablaze, Jewish shop windows smashed. Years passed and only synagogues survived as solitary symbols of the Jewish presence. Naturally, they are the first to go down in flames, to see how this combat-fatigued society will react. And we also know from history what happens when society keeps mum.