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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Head of World Congress of Russian Jewry accuses Georgia of genocide

2008-08-17

Russian-speaking Israeli figures have expressed dismay at a statement made by the chairman of the World Congress of Russian Jewry, Russian Senator Boris Spiegel, calling for the establishment of a tribunal that would investigate Georgia's "war crimes" during the past week's round of fighting.

Spiegel, a prominent Jewish oligarch boasting close ties with the Kremlin, accused Georgia of genocide and ethnic cleansing. "We, as historic victims of genocide, cannot stand aloof," the statement said on behalf of the umbrella organization of the worldwide Russian-speaking Jewish community.

In the statement, which was widely published in Russia, Spiegel also accused the Georgian Army of inhumane behavior towards the citizens of South Ossettia, mass killings, and the destruction of the enclave's capital Tskhinvali, which he called "The capital of the republic."

In a conversation with Haaretz, MK Ze'ev Elkin (Kadima), who serves as the deputy head of the Congress, criticized Spiegel's statements, saying the organization's role is to worry about well-being of Jews worldwide and not get involved in "geo-political conflicts."

Posted by:Fred

#7 [McZoid has been pooplisted.]

Posted by: McZoid 2008-08-17 20:13

#6 Not at all the same as acting as agents of the Olde Countrie's intelligence apparatus or propagating the ruling party's line, badanov. Mr. Wife says the pita here tastes wrong without the grit of Egyptian sand between the teeth, which he grew to like when he spent the better part of a year working there, but that doesn't mean he wants to forward President Mubarek's policies

Posted by: trailing wife 2008-08-17 13:11

#5 All immigrants will retain some elements of their former country's traditions. It's hard to let go. Mainland Chinese immigrants in particular retain much of their traditions stretching way back before Mao, many of them very much congruous with American traditions.

It's hard to let go of your cultural traditions so much so that many of those traditions get assimilated into our own culture.

Who doesn't like Chinese food, except my wife tells me the Chinese food served in Chinese in America restaurants bear little resemblance to traditional folk Chinese meals.

Posted by: badanov 2008-08-17 13:01

#4 If I am reading the first sentence correctly, Mr. Spiegel is a member of the Russian Senate, and Israeli immigrants from Russia disagree with him. I'd never heard of the World Congress of Russian Jewry before reading this article.

++++++++++++++++++++++

I just googled the Congress, and it looks like a recently-manufactured sock puppet. From the blog The Jewish Russian Telegraph link

The World Congress of Russian Jewry belongs to a network of often-overlapping Jewish congresses in Russia.
Under the leadership of Boris Shpigel, a member of Russia's upper house of parliament, the World Congress has staked its claim to the Russian expatriate community, especially in Israel, the United States and Germany.
The congress is built on the belief that Russian-speaking Jews harbor a distinct mix of cultural, religious and ethnic identity that sets them apart from the Jewish communities where they land after leaving the former Soviet Union.
Maintaining that identity also meshes with an initiative of the Russian government led by a Kremlin insider close to Shpigel. But the club members say they did not join to press the Russian government's agenda abroad.

Much like how China assumes that their emigrants of course will remain Chinese rather than assimilating into the country where they settled.. and therefore willingly act for the benefit of China against their new home.

Posted by: trailing wife 2008-08-17 11:27

#3 graphic says it all.

Posted by: Betty Grating2215 2008-08-17 08:27

#2 Spiegel, a prominent Jewish oligarch boasting close ties with the Kremlin...

'nuff said in that line. Russian mouthpiece.

Posted by: DarthVader 2008-08-17 00:08

#1 WTF?

Posted by: 3dc 2008-08-17 00:07

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