The State Department is poised to grant Russian extremist Vladimir Zhirinovsky a U.S. visa, and that possibility has Jewish leaders up in arms.
Coupled with concern about Zhirinovsky’s hatemongering, Jewish leaders said they are worried that letting Zhirinovsky into the United States might lend him more credibility at home.
“It’s the wrong signal, at the wrong time, to the wrong people,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles.
The Russian nationalist leader is scheduled to speak at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco on Nov. 7, said Rachel Schedler, the organization’s programs assistant.
A State Department official said approval could come as early as the end of this week because there is no basis to deny the visa.
According to State Department policy, the secretary of state can withhold the visa under nine different special circumstances, none of which applied in this case.
Zhirinovsky, known for his racist, fascist and anti-Semitic views, contacted the council, which decided to host him after lengthy discussions, Schedler said.
“It’s our role and responsibility to provide a forum for anyone influencing international politics today,” she said, explaining the rationale behind the council’s decision to host him.
A Russian Embassy spokesman said the visit is private, and Zhirinovsky does not plan to visit Washington.
The spokesman did not have more information about Zhirinovsky’s schedule.
Zhirinovsky was elected to the Russian Parliament in December 1993. Since then he has made headlines throughout the world for his vehement rhetoric attacking minorities, Jews and foreigners.
Zhirinovsky’s antics have gotten him thrown out of a number of countries and banned from Germany.
VISIT WOULD SEND MESSAGE OF RESPECTABILITY
“We’re disappointed that an organization like the World Affairs Council would open its doors to someone with his message of bigotry and intolerance,” said Mark Levin, executive director of the National Conference of Soviet Jewry.
“That message has no place in the United States,” he added.
Cooper agreed and said the council acted irresponsibly. If it wanted to give Zhirinovsky a forum for his ideas, it could have set up something from Moscow, he said.
When Zhirinovsky arrives early next month, Levin said he suspects there will be “public displays against his message and his presence.”
Zhirinovsky’s visit would send the message that he is respectable, Cooper said.
“The visa is a domestic victory for Zhirinovsky,” he said. “He can say (to Russians), ‘Look, I’m accepted in the United States.’ Even before he leaves, he’s won,” Cooper said.
Both NCSJ and the Wiesenthal Center registered their disapproval of Zhirinovsky with the State Department.
In September, Cooper sent a letter to Secretary of State Warren Christopher opposing a U.S. visa for Zhirinovsky.
NCSJ raised the issue at one of its meetings with State Department officials, who said Zhirinovsky would be given the same consideration as anyone else applying for a visa, Levin said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
