Putin's Jewish embrace: Is it love or politics?

(JTA/Haaretz) March 11, 2014 - Few would dispute that Putin has been friendly to Jewish institutional life in Russia -- especially to organizations and leaders that belong to the Chabad Hasidic movement.

Gorin, a Chabad rabbi and chairman of Moscow's $50 million Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, credits Putin personally for providing state funding for the institution, which opened in 2012. Putin also donated a month's wages to the museum.

"Putin has facilitated the opening of synagogues and Jewish community centers across Russia, at the Jewish community's request. This has had a profound effect on Jewish life, especially outside Moscow," Gorin said. "He instituted annual meetings with Jewish community leaders and attends community events. His friendship with the Jewish community has given it much prestige and set the tone for local leaders."

Putin's relationship with the Jewish community is consistent with his larger strategy for governing Russia. His brand of Russian nationalism extends beyond just ethnic Russians to include the country's many minorities. Putin has carefully cultivated relationships with Russia's many subgroups and regions as a means of projecting his government's authority.

Mikhail Chlenov, secretary general of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, says Putin's pro-Jewish tendencies are part of the reason that anti-Semitic incidents are relatively rare in Russia. In 2013, the Russian Jewish Congress documented only 10 anti-Jewish attacks and acts of vandalism, compared to dozens in France.

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