Moscow -

The Jewish Agency's statement in Moscow did not answer all questions about the circumstances of the inspection process carried out by the Russian Ministry of Labor in the agency, and was limited to asserting that the ministry did not ask it to stop its activities in Russia.

The newspaper "Jerusalem Post" reported that the Jewish Agency had received a letter from the Russian Ministry of Justice asking it to stop its activities in Russia.

Israeli news websites claimed that the Ministry of Justice submitted a number of demands to the Jewish Agency (Sakhnot) that made it difficult for it to continue its activities, and talked about the fact that resolving the issue requires intervention at the highest level.

The Russian-speaking Jewish website "Lekhaim" also said that the Israeli Minister of Immigration Pnina Tamino Shetty sent a letter to Prime Minister Yair Lapid asking him to discuss the activities of "Sakhnot" with the Russian government, adding, "I urge you to intervene urgently in order to continue the activities of the Jewish Agency in Russia." And not to harm the continued return to the homeland.”

For its part, the widely spread RBC website in Russia published assurances it had obtained from the agency denying receiving requests to stop working.

It is noted in the statements of the agency's representatives that it focused on the absence of requests for an immediate termination of its activity, but it avoided referring to other details that may be related to the inspection or the ministry's observations.

The media uproar surrounding the Jewish Agency coincided with the resignation of Moscow Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt from his position, and while the RIA Novosti agency reported that this came after the expiration of his contract, the RBC website reported that Goldschmidt's relatives said that he was pressured by the Russian authorities because he refused "the operation." special".

wide spread

The Jewish Agency was founded in 1929, and included among its goals emigration (return to Israel), and to help Jews living in the "diaspora" to remain Jews, to maintain and strengthen their relationship with the Jewish state.

"Sakhnot" began its activity in the territory of the Soviet Union in 1989, two years before the official opening of the Israeli embassy in Moscow. It is responsible for a number of educational programs, including the organization of children's camps and Sunday schools, as well as supervising programs to "return" young people to Israel.

At the level of the former Soviet republics, it has representative offices in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Several sources in Jewish circles in Russia say that the role of "Sakhnot" in returning Jews to Israel from Russia is now minimal, and that the main work passes through the Israeli consulate in Moscow.

The agency can advise on immigration issues, but the help is mainly limited to organizing free flights to Israel for "returnees".

The statements of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Hitler had Jewish blood angered Israel (Reuters)

political dimensions

In turn, the former Israeli ambassador to Russia, Zvi Magin, says that it is not about "Sakhnot", and that it is just an argument, using the phrase "they (the Russians) hit the easiest target."

In an interview with the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Magin admitted that there is a crisis in bilateral relations, pointing to an increase in criticism from the Russian side of Israel's actions, whether it comes to Syria or Iran, adding that Russia's policy has changed, and perhaps its interests in the Middle East have changed.

Russian-Israeli relations are going through difficult times, especially after Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid - when he was foreign minister - described the images from Ukraine as horrific, and accused Russia of waging war on civilians, while in Moscow they began to refer more than once to the "criminal policy" of Israel in the Palestinian Territories.

The tension between the two sides also entered a more severe turn after a statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov - commenting on the words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he could not be a Nazi because he was a Jew - in which he said that Hitler also had Jewish blood.

Although the war in Ukraine gave a new dimension to the crisis between the two countries, the roots of the differences extend to the Syrian arena, as Moscow does not approve of the Israeli strikes against Syria.

Precedent and reckoning

For his part, Director of the Center for Political Analysis Denis Karkodenev points out that it is a unique case for the relevant Russian authorities to express an official protest against the activities of "Jewish organizations" in Russia, while in the past they had shown a neutral stance towards all Jewish organizations, regardless of their degree of extremism. .

He continues that in the context of the development of the military operation in Ukraine - where Tel Aviv took a very clear position - the opinions of the Jewish community were divided, and Israel began to help the "Kyiv regime" almost openly with weapons, medical supplies, the military and intelligence information.

In his opinion, the main driving force in this process was Jewish organizations operating on Russian soil, which became the eyes and ears of Kyiv by collecting information considered state secrets to Russia.

He points out that just as the activities of the "All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress" were banned earlier, Moscow decided to use the same scenario with the Jewish organization.

But he asserts that the main problem is that practically the entire Russian economic elite is Jewish, that is, its financial interests are inseparable from the well-being of Israel, as well as the case of Ukrainian President Zelensky, who, according to the Russian expert, became the head of this country thanks to the support of Tel Aviv and Washington.

Karkodenev concluded that a blow to any Jewish organization in Russia - especially the central one - could lead to a real political crisis.

He believes that the margin for putting pressure on Israel from Moscow is huge, but in this case Russia can act only through third parties, and that the "Kremlin's anger" with Israel may be manifested indirectly, for example, by the Syrian army launching a surprise attack on Golan Heights or Hezbollah "accidentally" shoots down an Israeli fighter jet or fires two ballistic missiles toward Tel Aviv.

Karkodenev recalls that when Russia wanted to convey signs of dissatisfaction with the Israeli military campaign against Iranian targets in Syria, Moscow was ignoring the movement of advanced Russian-made weapons from Syria to Hezbollah depots in Lebanon, and this can be repeated, as an expression of resentment From the activity of some pro-Israel organizations in Russia.