Anti-Semitism Is Speculative in Russia
As much as 41 percent of the Russians think it is necessary to curtail influence of the Jews in public administration, business and culture, shows the recent poll of Levada Center. But the number of such believers used to be greater - 44 percent of respondents thought so in 2005 and 48 percent did it in 2004.
But there is another trend as well. The January survey of the Public Opinion Fund showed that 42 percent of Russians disapprove of anti-Semitism vs. 34 percent in 2005.
In Russia, the attitude to the Jews doesn’t root in the Middle East clashes. Alexey Levinson from Levada Center attributes some decline in the anti-Semitism sentiment to the Caucasus nationals. In the xenophobic consciousness of the Russians, the Jews (non-Russians, hucksters, adherents of different faith) have been replaced by the Caucasus nationals.
On the other hand, marginalization of the western cosmopolite world outlook has happened in Russia as a whole, Levinson explained. The result is that many Russians just don’t think proposed introduction of national quotas or restrictions as something indecent or impermissible.
So, though nearly half of the Russians stand for curtailing influence of the Jews, according to Levada Center, 84 percent have no ill feelings for them, showed the January poll of the Public Opinion Fund.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 28, 2006
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