Staunton, VA, November 17, 2016 – Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry’s spokesperson, has consistently denied that Moscow had anything to do with Donald Trump’s victory; but in a television interview on Sunday, November 13, she declared to the applause of the audience that “if anyone wants to know what will happen in the US,” he or she must “naturally” talk to the Jews.
Specifically, she told her approving audience in words that can only be described as a repetition of one of the oldest anti-Semitic tropes, “If you want to find out what will happen in America, to whom must you speak? The Jews, naturally. That’s sufficient”.
Then, Israel’s Newsru.co.il says, Zakharova “began to speak with an exaggerated Jewish accent” the following. She said she had spoken with Russian Jews who had moved to New York and that they had told her: “’Marochka, understand, we of course are giving to Clinton, but we are giving the Republicans twice as much.’”
That answers everything, the Russian foreign ministry spokesman said, adding in her own words that “if you want to know the future, don’t read the mainstream newspapers. Our people in Brighton Beach will tell you everything.”
Given both Moscow’s obvious preference for and backing of Trump and longstanding Russian anti-Semitism, it is quite remarkable that Zakharova allowed herself to express such views, as her words likely undercut the Kremlin’s message in the eyes of anti-Semites in the Russian Federation.
The Israeli news agency says that the Israeli foreign ministry had no comment but that the agency itself had called on the Russian foreign ministry, so far without any response, to comment on “whether Zakharova’s words reflect [Moscow’s] official position, correspond to diplomatic norms and whether the Russian foreign ministry considers them anti-Semitic.”
At a time when all kinds of evil notions are being wrongly “normalized” if they are expressed by those with enough power, it is absolutely critical that this revival of the ancient slander about Jews and Jewish money be called out for what it is and be denounced by all people of good will both in Russia and in the rest of the world.