Russia: Information on whether Boris Yeltsin fervently supports Pamyat
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1993 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | RUS14075 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Russia: Information on whether Boris Yeltsin fervently supports Pamyat, 1 May 1993, RUS14075, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aab78.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The BBC reported on 16 October 1992 that Russian President Boris Yeltsin had denounced Pamyat's "attack" on the editorial board of Moskovskiy Komsomolets, a newspaper that has been very critical of the anti-Semitic Pamyat organization.
Additional recent information on Yeltsin's relations with Pamyat is not currently available to the DIRB, but the following information may be useful to you.
A report by The Jerusalem Post of 8 September 1991 indicates that in 1987 Yeltsin had several meetings with Pamyat leader Dmitri Vailiyev. These meetings "caused a distrust of Yeltsin within the Jewish community which has largely dissipated only in the past year."
As reported by the Federal News Service on 23 August 1991, Dmitri Simes, a senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, commented on Yeltsin's position on anti-Semitism as follows:
[t]he only reason to accuse Yeltsin of being anti-Semitic is that he had a meeting with "Pamyat" [Memory], I think it was back in 1986, '87. First of all, "Pamyat" at that time was not as discredited as it is today. Second, Yeltsin met with a number of other unofficial groups. And what was unusual about Yeltsin's performance at the time was not so much that he met with "Pamyat," but that he was meeting with one unofficial radical group after another, both to the right and to the left of the establishment.
Yeltsin signed a number of declarations very specifically denouncing anti-Semitism. His signature is there. He certainly surrounded himself with people who on many occasions condemned anti-Semitism. having said that, I am not sure that Yeltsin is particularly in love with the Jews.... Yeltsin is a Russian politician. He does know that there is a great deal of anti-Semitism beneath the Soviet political surface and he is not particularly eager to bring people of Jewish origin to high positions in the Russian government (23 Aug. 1991).
A report from Reuters of 15 October 1991 indicates that Boris Yeltsin's position with regard to anti-Semitism is unknown; however, an earlier report carried by the news agency states that "Yeltsin told a Jewish group in Moscow...that he is a 'staunch opponent of anti-Semitism'..." (11 Jan. 1991).
According to a 1990 article in The Washington Times, a New York Jewish weekly reported that "Mr. Yeltsin's close advisers 'appeared to be individuals sympathetic to Jews and with strong ties to the Jewish community'" (11 July 1990).
Additional information specific to this topic is not currently available to the DIRB.
References
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 16 October 1992. "Yeltsin Denounces Pamyat Action Against Newspaper." (NEXIS)
Federal News Service. 23 August 1991. "Foreign Policy Magazine News Conference...." (NEXIS)
The Jerusalem Post. 9 September 1991. Walter Ruby. "Pamyat Less Anti-Semitic, Yeltsin Tells U.S. TV." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 15 October 1991. AM Cycle. "Yeltsin View on Anti-Semitism Said Unknown." (NEXIS)
. 11 January 1991. AM Cycle. "Yeltsin Tells Jewish Group He Opposes Anti-Semitism." (NEXIS)
The Washington Times. 11 July 1990. Final Edition. Arnold Beichman. "The Anti-Semitic Soviet Fault Line." (NEXIS)
Attachments
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 16 October 1992. "Yeltsin Denounces Pamyat Action Against Newspaper." (NEXIS)
The Jerusalem Post. 9 September 1991. Walter Ruby. "Pamyat Less Anti-Semitic, Yeltsin Tells U.S. TV." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 11 January 1991. AM Cycle. "Yeltsin Tells Jewish Group He Opposes Anti-Semitism." (NEXIS)
The Washington Times. 11 July 1990. Final Edition. Arnold Beichman. "The Anti-Semitic Soviet Fault Line." (NEXIS)