Israel’s ambassador said about display of racism in Belarus
- 10.11.2009, 9:08
Jewish communities in Belarus have found themselves in a catastrophic situation.
Ambassador of Israel Eduard Shapira said this at an international conference on Christian–Jewish dialogue in Minsk on November 9.
According to him, the Soviet government confiscated religious buildings from the communities enforcing atheism and struggling against religion. Most of the buildings were later returned to the believers. “I understand that there is no restitution law in the country, but the state not only returns churches to Christian communities, but also helps to restore them,” the diplomat said. He’d like the state to turn attention to synagogues, built on believers’ money.
A unique three-storey synagogue, one of the most beautiful synagogues in Central Europe, was built in Hrodna. Many tourists, among them Jews, come to the city, but they can’t visit the synagogue, because it is ruined and the Jewish community doesn’t have money to restore it, the ambassador noted.
Among other problems of the Jewish community are unwillingness of procuracy bodies and militia to instigate cases under article 130 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (stirring up national hatred) even if it is obvious. The ambassador gives an example of the event in 2009, when a swastika and anti-Semite inscriptions were drawn on the building where the Jewish community is located in the town of Slutsk (the Minsk region). “In my view, it is a striking example of racism,” Shapira said.
According to him, contraction works are some times carries out on the on old Jewish cemeteries and the places of mass executions of Jews in WWII. The diplomat says a law that could prevent such actions should be adopted. In his opinion, if human remains are found at a construction site, the Jewish community should be informed about this and reinterred according to national traditions in presence of a rabbi.
The ambassador hopes the difficulties can be overcome by joint efforts and the conference guarantees this.