[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 23, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H1535-H1538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONCERNING ANTI-SEMITIC STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS OF THE DUMA OF THE
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 37) concerning anti-
Semitic statements made by members of the Duma of the Russian
Federation, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 37
Whereas the world has seen in the 20th century the
disastrous results of ethnic, religious, and racial
intolerance;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation is on
record, through obligations freely accepted as a
participating state of the Organization on Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as pledging to ``clearly and
equivocally condemn totalitarianism, racial and ethnic
hatred, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and discrimination against
anyone . . .'';
Whereas at two public rallies in October 1998, Communist
Party member of the Duma, Albert Makashov, blamed ``the
Yids'' for Russia's current problems;
Whereas in November 1998, attempts by members of the
Russian Duma to formally censure Albert Makashov were blocked
by members of the Communist Party;
Whereas in December 1998, the chairman of the Duma Security
Committee and Communist Party member, Viktor Ilyukhin, blamed
President Yeltsin's ``Jewish entourage'' for alleged
``genocide against the Russian people'';
Whereas in response to the public outcry over the above-
noted anti-Semitic statements, Communist Party chairman
Gennadi Zyuganov claimed in December 1998 that such
statements were a result of ``confusion'' between Zionism and
``the Jewish question''; and
Whereas during the Soviet era, the Communist Party
leadership regularly used ``anti-Zionist campaigns'' as an
excuse to persecute and discriminate against Jews in the
Soviet Union: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) condemns anti-Semitic statements made by members of the
Russian Duma;
(2) commends actions taken by members of the Russian Duma
to condemn anti-Semitic statements made by Duma members;
(3) commends President Yeltsin and other members of the
Russian Government for condemning anti-Semitic statements
made by Duma members; and
(4) reiterates its firm belief that peace and justice
cannot be achieved as long as governments and legislatures
promote policies based upon anti-Semitism, racism, and
xenophobia.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
(Mr. SMITH of New Jersey asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
General Leave
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and
extend their remarks on H. Con. Res. 37.
[[Page H1536]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 37 condemns anti-Semitic statements made by
members of the Russian Duma and commends actions taken by fair-minded
members of the Duma to censure the purveyors of anti-Semitism within
their ranks. H. Con. Res. 37 further commends President Yeltsin and
other members of the Russian Government for their rejection of such
statements.
Finally, this resolution reiterates the firm belief of the Congress
that peace and justice cannot be achieved as long as governments and
legislatures promote policies or let stand destructive remarks based on
anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia.
Mr. Speaker, with the fall of the ruble last August and the
associated economic problems in Russia, there has been a disturbing
rise in anti-Semitic statements by high Russian political figures.
Unfortunately, anti-Semitism has always had a certain following in
Russia; and it would be disingenuous of us to suggest that there is no
anti-Semitism in the United States or other parts of the world. But I
believe we cannot remain silent when members of the national
legislature of Russia, a participating state of the OSCE and the
Council of Europe, should state at a Duma hearing, as did the chairman
of the Duma Security Committee, Mr. Ilyukhin, that Russian President
Yeltsin's ``Jewish entourage'' is responsible for alleged genocide
against the Russian people.
It is an affront to human decency that Duma member and retired
General Albert Makashov, speaking twice in November 1998 at public
rallies, should refer to ``the Yids'' and other ``reformers and
democrats'' as responsible for Russia's problems and threaten to make a
list and ``send them to the other world.''
Mr. Speaker, this man, and I have seen a tape recording of him, as a
matter of fact I played it at a Helsinki Commission hearing that I
chaired last January, has said, ``We will remain anti-Semites and we
must triumph.'' These are dangerous, hate-filled sentiments.
Mr. Speaker, it should be noted and clearly stated that President
Yeltsin and his government have condemned anti-Semitism and other
expressions of ethnic and religious hatred.
{time} 1445
There have been attempts in the Duma to censure anti-Semitic
statements and those who utter them. However, the Duma is controlled,
as we all know, by the Communist Party, where anti-Semitic statements
are either supported, or at least tolerated, and these attempts to
censure have failed. So we must go on the record and censure.
In fact, Communist Party Chairman Zyuganov has tried to rationalize
anti-Semitic statements by fellow party members. He explains that the
party has nothing against Jews, just Zionism. He has also stated that
there will be no more anti-Semitic statements by General Makashov. But
this is the same Mr. Zyuganov who has asserted that, and I quote, ``too
many people with strange-sounding family names mingle in the internal
affairs of Russia.'' And this is the party that claims to inherit that
internationalist mantle of the old Communist Party.
Mr. Speaker, on January 15 of this year, I chaired a Helsinki
Commission hearing regarding human rights in Russia, at which time we
heard testimony by Lyuda Alexeeva, a former Soviet dissident and
chairperson of the Moscow Helsinki Group. She testified that the
Russian people themselves are not anti-Semitic but that the Communist
Party is tolerating this crude attitude among its ranks. She called
upon parliamentarians throughout the world to protest in no uncertain
terms the position of the Communist Party and its anti-Semitic leaders.
Let us make that a priority for us today, to censure, to speak out so
that the democratic forces in Russia, the decent people who are trying
to create a civil society in Russia, are not silenced by these
demagogues of hate.
I urge strong support for this resolution. We must go on record.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I
rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 37.
First, Mr. Speaker, let me congratulate my good friend from New
Jersey who has taken the initiative in submitting this most important
resolution, and let me identify myself with every single one of his
comments.
Mr. Speaker, this afternoon, the United States is considering the
possibility of taking military action in Kosovo which ultimately would
be the result of racial, ethnic and religious hatreds. In this century,
we have seen too many expressions of extreme racial, religious and
ethnic statements leading to actions of persecution and discrimination
and ultimately to genocide not to be painfully aware of the
significance of statements of hate and violence being uttered in halls
of parliament. We clearly cannot ignore the anti-Semitic statements
emanating from some quarters of the Russian Duma.
Words are powerful, Mr. Speaker, and they have consequences. They can
incite action. Words are usually the first step in a chain of events
leading ultimately to genocide. The words that we have heard from some
Duma members should outrage every civilized person in this country and
elsewhere.
Our action must be to condemn such outrageous statements as our
resolution does. But our resolution should also commend those in
Russia, including President Yeltsin and some members of the Duma, who
have spoken out against statements of hate.
I might mention parenthetically, Mr. Speaker, that one of the most
courageous human rights advocates of the Duma, a courageous woman
parliamentarian, was killed in cold blood in her apartment house just
because she has spoken out against incitement to hatred and murder.
As Russia struggles through a very difficult economic period, Russian
leaders must be particularly cautious and careful not to promote
scapegoating in their society. It is, therefore, very heartening that
some Russian leaders, particularly President Yeltsin, have spoken out
against incitement to hatred, persecution and ultimately murder. It
shows that there are some Russian leaders who clearly recognize that
racism and anti-Semitism have no place in the modern Russian society.
This issue, Mr. Speaker, is very high on the agenda of our
administration. Secretary Albright raised the matter during her recent
trip to Moscow, and in a few hours when Vice President Gore will be
meeting with Prime Minister Primakov, who is about to land, he will
raise this issue as one of the most important issues of their upcoming
discussions.
I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 37.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume. I want to thank my good friend for his kind comments. This
is another one of those vitally important human rights issues where
we--Democrat, Republican, conservative, moderate and liberal--are
speaking with one voice. Our friends in the Duma and other freedom-
loving people need to know that, that we speak out boldly and
forcefully against anti-Semitism.
The gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) remembers in the last
Congress I chaired a hearing in our subcommittee on the alarming rising
tide of anti-Semitism in Russia. Even then we saw the disturbing signs
that anti-Semitism was bad and getting worse. It has become even worse
than that in the last few months. We need to speak out very, very
forcefully. I want to thank him for his great comments.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly support this
resolution and to send a message that public officials making anti-
Semitic statements, whether it is in Russia or anywhere else, is
unacceptable and it is something that we are noting here in the United
States and we will take action on these types of violations.
We do not take public expressions of anti-Semitism, of hatemongering
of
[[Page H1537]]
this kind, lightly. Anti-Semitism, as all ethnic-based hatred, is an
ugly threat that cannot be ignored, and if we ignore it, we do so to
our own jeopardy. The fact is, anti-Semitism and this type of hate
rhetoric has gotten out of hand in the past and it could get out of
hand in the future if in any way the civilized world refuses to take
the actions that are necessary to make sure that we quarantine it, that
we eliminate it, and that we condemn it with all of our strength.
I commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for providing leadership on this
issue. These type of strong messages are heard. For the record, let me
say a strong message certainly is important, but for the record I
believe that we should warn Russia and others that we will not deal
with those racist and anti-Semitic officials in Russia or anywhere
else. For the record, I would suggest that the American ambassador
should warn those public officials concerned that if those anti-Semitic
statements do not end, there will be some action taken by the United
States, and that if they repeat these anti-Semitic statements, perhaps
the American ambassador should act to ensure that these public
officials not receive any visas to the United States. I will put this
on the record, that if indeed we hear more anti-Semitic statements
coming out of public officials in Russia, or, I might add, anywhere
else in the world, I will be happy to work with the gentleman from New
Jersey and the gentleman from California to put in a law that requires
our ambassadors to deny visas to anyone who has made an anti-Semitic
statement after being warned that it is unacceptable.
The good people of Russia will be strengthened by our message today.
We need to make sure that those good people know that we are not
blaming them and that we want to work with them to make sure that the
evil elements in their society do not get the upper hand. There is a
good way to determine who an evil element is in a society. Certainly it
is easy to tell when you see those are the people who are making anti-
Semitic and racist and hate-filled remarks and trying to build
animosity from one group to another based on their race, their religion
or their ethnic background. If Russia is to be part of the civilized
world, then anti-Semitism cannot be part of the public officials'
dialog in that country. If Russia wants to be part of the western
democracies and wants to build their country into an economic partner
with the rest of the world, wants us to cooperate with them, they have
got to earn our respect. We in this country do not respect anyone that
permits this type of hatred to be uttered by public officials.
With that said, I stand in strong support of this resolution and add
my voice to those of the gentleman from California and the gentleman
from New Jersey.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for his very
eloquent statement and for reminding us that there is no welcome mat
for purveyors of hate in this country. We will take him up on that. I
think it is a very valid suggestion, I say to my friend.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I am proud that this Congress today has
decided not to overlook the anti-Semitic statements made by members of
the Russian Duma. Anti-Semitism is on the rise in Russia. The
resolution we are considering today demonstrates our concern and our
commitment to stop this trend.
For the people of my district, there is no option. Many are survivors
or the descendants of those who survived an era filled with events that
we must never allow to be repeated.
The recent surge of anti-Semitism in Russia is dangerously
reminiscent of pre-Nazi Germany.
While we are condemning words spoken by Russian Duma members, we need
to remember the effect just words have had in the past.
The anti-Semitic statements from the members of the Russian Duma
scare me. They remind me of how easy it can be for history to repeat
itself.
We need to act now to condemn these statements, to ensure that this
country and the world never forget and never allow hateful words to
lead to hateful deeds.
This resolution also commends President Yeltsin and other Russian
Duma members, who have spoken out against these racist statements.
Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the gentleman
from New Jersey's resolution in brining attention to anti-Semitic
comments by members of the Russian Duma and condemning these comments.
A deeply disturbing situation is currently unfolding throughout
Russia. Anti-Semitism is at all levels of Russian society. The rise in
the neo-Nazi movement activity; anti-Semitic material readily available
on the streets; the right wing party blaming the Jewish Community for
the current economic crisis are all eerily reminiscent of earlier,
horrific times. Such rhetoric propagating ethnic hatred must be
stopped.
This anti-Semitic reign of terror is occurring in communities across
Russia. Jews in towns such as Borovichi and Krasnodar have to watch
television adds urging citizens to ``take up arms and kill at least one
Jew a day,'' walk past posters that read ``Jews are garbage'' and
receive letters threatening them with death if they do not leave
Russia. All the while, the local law officials request that the matter
be disregarded.
Unfortunately, these actions are not limited to small communities. In
Moscow this winter, the ultra-nationalist Russia National Unity Party
(RNU) held a demonstration in the streets with the group dressing in
their militant-style uniforms armed with swastika bands. The RNU boasts
50,000 members located in twenty-four regions of Russia.
These actions and statements of racial hatred are even more difficult
to stem when they are being encouraged by people at the highest level
of the Russian government. Not only has General Albert Makashov blamed
the current economic crisis on the Jews, he advocates establishing a
quota for the number of Jews allowed in Russia. The Duma has failed to
censure General Makashov for his comments calling for the death of Jews
and the Communist party fails to condemn or discipline him in any way.
President Boris Yeltsin has condemned General Makashov and others who
have made similar comments, and for that I applaud him. Peace and
justice will not reign in the world until governments at all levels
stand up against policies and practices promoting anti-Semitism and
racism. We in Congress must not allow the current efforts attempting to
weaken religious freedoms in Russia to succeed at any level.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 37 is an
important statement on an important issue.
On this very day, Russian Prime Minister Yevgenii Primakov is
scheduled to be arriving in Washington for official meetings here.
Unfortunately, back home in his native Russia, a virulent, ugly anti-
Semitism is on the rise.
Let me simply refer to the statements made by two members of the
Russian parliament--both of whom are members of the Russian Communist
Party.
These specific statements are the reason why this House is
considering this resolution today.
First, in October, Russia parliament member Albert Makashov said that
the Jews in Russia should be rounded up and: ``sent to the grave.''
Makashov then went on to say in February that Russian Jews were:
so bold, so impudent, because we're sleeping. . . . It's
because none of us has yet knocked on their doors or ___--I
will omit the word here out of courtesy to all those in
attendance--on their windows. That's why they're such snakes
and acting so bold.
Second, in December, Viktor Ilyukhin, another Communist member of
parliament and, in fact, Chairman of its Security Committee, stated
that the Jews were responsible for a ``genocide'' of the Russian people
and that:
the large-scale genocide would not have been possible if
Yeltsin's entourage and the country's previous governments
had consisted mainly of members of the indigenous peoples
rather than members of the Jewish nation alone.
The leader of the Russian Communist Party, Gennady Zyuganov, refused
to stand up to this flagrant anti-Semitism in his party's ranks, and
instead tried to blame ``haters of Russia'' for ``trying hard to force
the so-called Jewish Question on us.''
Last week, I sent letters to Secretary of State Albright and Russian
Prime Minister Primakov--and I joined with other Members of Congress in
a letter to Vice President Gore--stating my strong concern over such
statements and over the vandalism done earlier this month to a
synagogue in Novosibirsk in Russia.
The enactment of this concurrent resolution would be an important,
further step in demonstrating the Congress' concern.
I believe it would be helpful to all those put at risk in Russia by
this anti-Semitism if the House today were to pass this resolution and
send a clear message of our concern to Russian Prime Minister Primakov
during his scheduled visit here.
I support the measure and commend our colleague, Congressman Smith,
for sponsoring it.
[[Page H1538]]
Mr. SMITH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my friend from California.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bass). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, House
Concurrent Resolution 37, as amended.
The question was taken.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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