Jews hail Russian tolerance

Russian Jews say the number of anti-semitic attacks in the country dropped considerably in 2007, although there is still notable signs of religious hatred.

The upbeat report from the Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia comes after a number of incidents in early 2008.

The incidents include a youth rally in front of a Jewish cultural centre in the town of Ulyanovsk. Last week a Holocaust memorial was desecrated in Volgograd and in Nizhny Novgorod a group of three young men broke into a synagogue and shouted nationalist slogans.

Borukh Gorin from the Federation of Jewish Communities says political and economic stability is key to more tolerance towards national and religious minorities.

“The social situation and the political situation in the country became much more stable, and we know that stability in the country is the best weapon against xenophobia,” he said.