A representative Russian delegation has arrived in Israel, headed by the Speaker of the State Duma, Sergey Naryshkin. The visit program included a wreath-laying ceremony at the Memorial of the Victory of the Red Army over Nazi Germany and the Chairman of the State Duma meeting with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and President Shimon Peres, as well as a visit by the Russian delegation to the Knesset and a conversation with his Israeli counterpart Yuli Edelstein.
One of the highlights of the visit was a meeting with representatives of the Israeli Russian-speaking intelligentsia, during which Sergei Naryshkin announced the creation of the Israeli branch of the Russian Historical Society. "The history of the Russian and Jewish peoples are closely linked," Mr Naryshkin said. "There are many controversial pages in it, but this relationship brings us extraordinarily close. We increasingly realize the importance of knowledge of our own history, and this awareness has led, in 2012, during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War, to the revival of the Russian Historical Society. This year is marked by the 100th anniversary of the First World War for Russia and for the Historical Society. Unfortunately, today we face attempts at revision and falsification both of the reasons for and the results of the First and Second World Wars. Meanwhile, this topic reveals the connection between our peoples one again. It would be sufficient to say that, during the First World War, 500,000 Jews fought for the Russian army. In short, the historians of both countries face an enormous scope for joint work, and they are fully committed to promoting this work. This involves not only scientific, but also various humanitarian projects, including the theater, museums and other areas."
The Israeli historian, Aaron Schneier, winner of the State Award of Israel, said that those who came to Israel in the 1990s, in the words of the great Jewish poet Knut, absorbed "the special Russian-Jewish air" and definitely feel their relationship with Russian history and culture. Picking up the theme of the First World War, Schneier said that for the deeds committed during it, 2.5 thousand Jews became St George Knights, and about 20 were awarded the "full bow of St George."Schneier further outlined the main activities and topics for joint work of the Russian and Israeli historians and scientists, and urged to refrain from subjective assessments and write historical works by the method of Tacitus - "without anger and bias."
Boris Maroz, Professor at Tel Aviv University, noted that for the success of collaboration, it is necessary to open the archives of Israel and Russia and, primarily, the Archives of the Ministry of Defense of Russia and the FSB. "Not so long ago," Mr Maroz said, "we tried to carry out a research project to study and compare the perception of events of the Six-Day War of 1967 by the Israeli and Soviet military. But the project died in the initial stage, as the Ministries of Defence of both countries refused to open their archives."
The importance of the study of history and the indifferent attitude to it was also mentioned by the LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who started with an assessment of "terrible anti-Russian and anti-Jewish attitudes that we are seeing now in Lviv and Western Ukraine." "And it speaks again about the relationship between our nations," Zhirinovsky said. "This relationship is extremely important, and it must be remembered, because what do our students care, for example, about the history of China? It can be extremely interesting, but it does not concern them ... Or take me as an example. Of course, I knew about the Holocaust, but did not feel any connection with it. I remember my first visit to Israel, when we visited the memorial museum "Yad Vashem". Well, I visited it because it was programmed. So what? And suddenly during my second visit among the names of the fallen I find my immediate family - the Edelsteins. And everything is different for me! But some of our State Duma deputies, I won't give you their names, but the people still think that the Holocaust is some Jewish holiday. One of them even once congratulated his Jewish counterpart on the Holocaust! Or, for example, tomorrow we have a meeting with President Shimon Peres, who was born in the Belarusian village of Cherry in Novogrudsky province. There also was born my father's second wife, Lola Gilevich. Can you see how closely everything is interrelated! Incidentally, I have just written a book about my father. By the way, his brother Aaron, my uncle, attended the same high school as the future Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. And after all, genes mean a lot! In Israel, my father and uncle joined the same party that I lead in Russia - the Liberal Democratic Party of Israel, which was then called 'Herut' and now 'Likud'."
- How many interesting facts you reveal about yourself, Vladimir Volfovich! - said Sergei Naryshkin.
- That's not all. I found the apartment my father rented in Tel Aviv, 127 Dizengoff Street, and I found out that every day he went to work by bus and always came to work first, just like I do in the State Duma. That's the genes!
Zhirinovsky finished his speech by asserting that none of the peoples have their own land, as all mankind was born between the Tigris and Euphrates, and then wandered around the world. He also complained that many files are still confidential, which is why he can't find a trace of his grandfather, who was exiled to labor camps as Nepman, nor of his grandmother, who was exiled to Solovki.
- So, Vladimir Volfovich, you should be the one to act! - said Sergei Naryshkin. - Initiate and carry out a bill in the Duma to declassify the archives!
Professor Yefim Pivovar, RSUH rector, Board Member of the Russian Historical Society, began by saying that the creation of the Israeli branch is an important step in the development of cooperation between the two countries: "Undoubtedly, the problem of classifying the archives remains, but you should not deny the fact that in recent years there has been a real archival revolution: a huge amount of previously unknown materials came into circulation, and they are yet to be studied. Our RSUH has a long and fruitful relationship with Israel, with the staff of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem universities. And, incidentally, the first Center for Judaic Studies was established in Russia at our university over 20 years ago. We have published a set of guides to Russian archives related to Russian-Jewish themes. Professor Altman, director of the Center on Poklonnaya Hill is, by the way, a professor of our university. "
Mr Pivovar said that the Holocaust and World War II concern him personally, as many members of his family were murdered by the Nazis, and his father went through the war and finished it in Vienna. "So the fact of my existence is due to the victory over Nazism," stated Professor Pivovar. He also touched the problem of creating new school and university history textbooks, previously raised by a professor at Tel Aviv University, Vera Kaplan, noting that the fight against attempts to revise and falsify history in the minds of the new generation is very topical, and RSUH is at the forefront of this struggle.
The meeting lasted for several hours, and we can't recount all the themes and ideas discussed there. But most importantly, the first meeting of the Israeli branch of the Russian Historical Society can be considered to have taken place.
