Rabbi Zinovy Kogan, vice president of the Congress of Jewish Religious Fellowships and Organizations of Russia talks about his attitude to the problems on the agenda of the Russian society.
"Family, the constitution, and anti-corruption education are three whales. Corruption can’t be reduced by force or legislative methods only, just like all other sins. A child who is raised by parents who don’t smoke and almost don’t drink alcohol doesn’t smoke or drink, not because he is afraid of a punishment, but because he doesn’t want to.
Corruption is a problem of education as well, a problem of a sin. Our young capitalism hasn’t developed moral and ethical norms, like a bee produces honey. They have no red line which they mustn’t cross. I don’t mean criminal issues. Now, concerning family. Where is a person more sincere than with his family? Family should be improved. The Russian Federation is a federation of families. I don’t mean mythic regions which we don’t understand. A family is an atom which builds up the federation. Improving family values and encouraging giving birth to babies are needed. We need roads, probably. We have fewer fools than good roads. We need good roads. Probably we need a lot of other things. Poor regions have poor communications with other regions. There is no metro in Biryulyovo because of the lack of resources. We need good roads there to get comfortably from Biryulyovo to the center of the city – then people could go to the theatres, stadiums and so on. Social justice requires communications. What should we, rabbis, do? Each of us should think: what can I personally do to prevent such massacres, to make Russia be the Russian civilization, rather than an imperialist or nationalist Russia. What can I do as a rabbi? First of all, we should be one step ahead of the Special Police Force. Before they take arms, clergymen – mufti, rabbi or priest – should address people. A priest who is their own, he has baptized these young people, he reads burial services, they know him. He has to be well-known, like the head of a district. The executive municipal bodies should receive wider rights. At the same time, clergies should be more responsible. Then people would want to have a church or a mosque in their district. It should be a center of culture, not only for those who believe in God. It is a paradox that a religious organization is focused on its members only. They should work like an oil field – for everyone. They should gather volunteers who would work with everybody. In this case everybody will know them. It is a challenge for the Church nowadays. I mean all of us. Our task is to be patriots. We should study here, get married or stay single here, work and be more than “our own.” We should be the true authority, in the best sense of the word. We have the authority, but it should be confirmed every day. A church which has the greatest number of volunteers, which is trusted by many people, should act first. It should be one step ahead “the spaceman.” We only improve our authority this way. These three whales are family, anti-corruption, and the constitution. I would like to say that we shouldn’t have blotches on the body of our Russia. We are a united country. Look at us, we are all similar, our own flesh and blood. Tatars in the Volga Region, Jews anywhere, Buddhists, Russians – we all are our own flesh and blood. We are all alike. Even when you come to Israel, those immigrants who left Russia long ago watch Russian TV daily. This is a fact. So, if we are our own flesh and blood, don’t try to split us. My friend’s son is Azeri, Asif. Thank God they are students and everything is calm. It’s alright. It will be fine. Come to the metro and see that everything is fine. And it will be alright," the rabbi concludes.
