A decision by Russian prosecutors to order the arrests of two business tycoons with Jewish roots does not signify a return to state-sponsored anti-Semitism, say Russian Jewish leaders. But the leaders are nonetheless concerned that the arrest warrants are reminiscent of Soviet-era political persecutions. The concerns were voiced after the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office issued separate warrants last week for the arrest of businessman-turned-politician Boris Berezovsky and banker Alexander Smolensky, neither of whom consider themselves Jewish or are involved in Jewish life.
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