Russia Slams Door on Jewish Agency

“According to the indications I’m seeing, most observers believe the agency will be closed down,” Rabbi Goldschmidt said.

A month ago, the Jewish Agency was notified by letter from government authorities that its operations were in violation of Russian law and it would have to cease its activities, though the agency was also invited to argue its own view of the case.

Parallel to this, Russian president Vladimir Putin recently signed a law expanding the definition of a foreign agent to include any body that receives aid from a foreign government, with violation of the new guidelines punishable by up to seven years in prison. On the face of it, the legislation covers all nonprofit organizations and doesn’t specifically target the Jewish Agency. But under its mission of promoting aliyah, the Jewish Agency shares information about potential immigrants with Israel on a routine basis. This puts it in a problematic position, because the Russian government views these activities as collecting information about its citizens for a foreign power.

The Jewish Agency supports not only aliyah but also summer camps and Hebrew studies, and generally serves as a pillar for the Jewish community in Russia since the fall of Communism and the rebuilding of Russian Jewish life. Some observers say the fact that most of the organization’s funding comes from Jewish donors in the United States is another red light for the Russians.