World Jewish News

Jewish groups denounce Russian President honoring anti-Semitic Syrian writer

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has condemned the conferring of a Russian prestigious cultural state award to a Syrian writer who has expressed anti-Semitic beliefs and publicly welcomed the 9/11 terror attacks.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev awarded last week in Moscow the Pushkin Medal, a state decoration honoring literary achievements, to Syrian writer Ali Ukla Ursan.
Ursan has frequently spoken out against Israel and Jews. In February 2000, he wrote: "The covetous, racist and hated Jew Shylock who cut the flesh from Antonio’s chest with the knife of hatred, invades you with his money, his modern airplanes, his missiles and his nuclear bombs."
"Regardless of his literary contributions, the honoring of a man who cherishes murder and promotes bigotry cannot be justified," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.
"Ursan’s expression of anti-Semitic sentiments and praise of the 9/11 terror attacks must be unconditionally and unequivocally rejected."
In a letter to President Medvedev, ADL said that Russia should rescind the award immediately.
Foxman recalled that recently, President Medvedev praised the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, the leading Jewish group in the country, for its work against anti-Semitism, saying that it was "important for creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and promoting social stability."
He also told the Russian Jewish community that "anti-Semitism will simply not be tolerated in the political environment."
"This award flies in the face of those commitments," said Foxman.
Boruch Gorin, a spokesman for the Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia, said a representative of Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar, would voice consternation over the award to the presidential administration at a meeting of Medvedev’s Committee of Multinational Relations. "We hope that it is not more than a stupid mistake," Gorin said.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, an organization which combats anti-Semitism around the world, said it was "shocked." "Ursan is an extreme opponent of peace, normalization or even contact between Syria and Israel or Israelis, having successfully contributed to sabotaging the 1999 peace talks between two countries. He is a conspiracy theorist and apologist for terrorism," declared Shimon Samuels, the group’s director in Paris.

EJP