Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center

January 26, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Dmitry Anatolievich visited the Museum exposition. During the excursion he was accompanied by Alexander Boroda, the President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, and Berel Lazar, the Chief Rabbi of Russia. After his tour of the exposition the Prime Minister made an official announcement: “Anti-Semitic attitude and nationalist views should be nipped in the bud at all levels in any country including Russia. We should value peace of mind and respect between people of different cultures and confessions, it is one of the most important conditions of existence and development of our multinational state. The Holocaust is one of the most hideous crimes of the Nazi. 6 million Jews were killed at the Nazi death factories. By various estimates, 2,7 million Jews died only in the territory of the USSR. That is why we perceive the tragedy of the Jews with such distinctive pain like a personal one, it affects everyone regardless of confession, and it is impossible to forget those events not to allows a repetition of that tragedy.”

Dmitry Medvedev shared that two months ago during his visit to Jerusalem Yad Vashem had deeply impressed him. “It is important that the historic truth unveiling those terrible events is kept here, at this Museum in Moscow, as well. And today it’s extremely regrettable that ethnic xenophobia takes on a new ugly form which is terrorism, and this is the similar death-dealing ideology, the same desire to kill and destroy.”

The Russian Prime Minister reminded that he had approved the special state program on the national policy implementation, and its main principle was agreement in the Russian society. “Your Museum and the Federation of Jewish Communities do a lot to develop tolerance in people. Moreover, it is not only one of the largest Jewish museums but also the most hi-tech and interactive one, here wonderful technological solutions and high level of emotional intensity live under one rood.”