(JTA) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told a delegation of Jewish leaders that anti-Semitism in the country "is becoming much less prevalent."
Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with a chief rabbi of Russia, Berel Lazar, and the president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, Alexander Boroda, as well as representatives of the European Jewish Congress, on Nov. 26, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS and Baltic Countries.
In discussing anti-Semitism, Medvedev said, "I would certainly not go so far as to say that the situation is ideal, but it has become known that anti-Semitism will simply not be tolerated in the political environment. No sane politician today would make any statements incriminating him in this manner.”
Medvedev praised the Jewish community’s activities in Russia and expressed his support for the Jewish community’s plan to build a Russian Jewish Museum of Tolerance in Moscow.
Medvedev also instructed his administration to look into Lazar’s proposal to recognize the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Jan. 27, as a national holiday.
