Anti-semites are trying to once again smear Jews with whatever they can dream up. Many try to suggest that the evils of communism are somehow the fault of Jews. Nothing could be further from the truth. Soviet communism viciously persecuted Jews and the Jewish religion.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,963230,00.html
Religion: Taking A Firm Stand Against Faith
By Richard N. Ostling;James O. Jackson and Nancy Traver/Moscow Monday, Jan. 12, 1987
.... According to the Uzbek daily Pravda Vostoka, Gorbachev called for a "firm and uncompromising struggle against religious phenomena." Then he said, "We must be strict above all with Communists and senior officials, particularly those who say they defend our morality and ideals but in fact help promote backward views and themselves take part in religious ceremonies."
To Kremlin watchers, several things were noteworthy about those remarks. They were Gorbachev's first pronouncements on religion since he took office 22 months ago. Indeed, it is rare for a Soviet General Secretary to attack religion so directly; that is usually left to underlings. Beyond that, the critique suggested the Kremlin is concerned that the state's struggle against religion has not been going well. ....
Since 1918 the Soviet Union has formally professed constitutional commitment to freedom of belief. In practice, the regime has placed rigid limits upon churches, synagogues and mosques and waged a campaign of oppression against believers. The training of religious leaders is tightly restricted, and religious education of children under the age of 18 is illegal. At the same time, all schoolchildren are indoctrinated in atheism.
For Soviet Christians, conditions today are relatively stable. There was a wave of church closings between 1958 and 1964. But believers are allowed to worship in the buildings that remain open so long as they register their congregations with the government and do not challenge Communist bans on parish education, evangelism and distribution of Christian literature. Several high-ranking Russian Orthodox ecclesiastics have recently been seen on TV newscasts, usually appearing as supporters of the Kremlin's disarmament policies. Severe persecution is aimed primarily at groups such as those Pentecostalists and Baptists who refuse to accept Soviet controls.
The status of the reported 1.8 million Soviet Jews is more difficult. Jewish emigration has been cut to fewer than 50 a month (vs. a peak of 51,300 in 1979), but the continuing demand for emigration shows how difficult it is for Soviet Jews to maintain an identity.
Last September, for example, one of the Soviet Union's few remaining mikvahs (ritual baths) was reportedly leveled by authorities.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,963230,00.html#ixzz0rRYApBV3
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