ARE RUSSIANS ANTI-SEMITIC?

The director of the VCIOM polling center, Yuri Levada, discussed the findings of recent polls regarding levels of anti-Semitism in Russian society in a recent interview. (Trud, 18 March) According to Levada’s colleague, Lev Gudkov, the polls show that about 7-10 percent of Russians have strong anti-Semitic prejudices while another 10-30 percent have negative stereotypical images of Jews.

There seems to be a rift in the degree of tolerance shown in private and public life (although one must be aware that questions about private behavior may not elicit truthful answers). While 88 percent of respondents said they would not object to having Jews as neighbors, 34 percent thought that the number of Jews in public office should be monitored and limited, and two-thirds thought that a Jew should not become president of Russia.

Landsbergis Calls Attention to Cold War on Balts.