Last Thursday, something happened in Moscow: the Russian Ministry of Justice submitted to the High Court in the city a request to ban the activities of the Jewish Agency in Russia. The reason is less important (alleged offense in the field of information gathering), the context is important: a step of this magnitude, which will cloud relations between Moscow and Jerusalem, is not It could have been accepted without at least the tacit approval of the Kremlin, which has already closed down foreign organizations from countries that criticized Russia in the past year.
In our case, the attack on the agency is especially outrageous, because official Israel made supreme efforts to maintain neutrality instead of helping Ukraine, even after the discovery of the shocking crimes of the Russian invaders.
Jerusalem limited itself to condemnations and meager assistance to refugees, and even then, to "balance", a minister was sent to the Russian Independence Day event on behalf of its embassy.
In return, Israel received reprimanding calls to the ambassador, pressure on the chief rabbi of Moscow to support the war or leave, incitement regarding the legally disputed properties in Jerusalem, and of course the "revelation" of Foreign Minister Lavrov about "Hitler's Jewish roots".
Now it's the turn of the pressure on the agency.
Why is Russia doing this?
Perhaps it is an attempt to extort something, as happened in the case of Naama Issachar;
Perhaps in an attempt to maintain a pool of potential soldiers;
Maybe this is another activity against "foreign agents";
And maybe all of these together.
Given the style of decision makers in Moscow, there is not necessarily a rational explanation and connection between our actions and Moscow's "reaction".
The "reactions" will come even in the absence of actions, as part of the radicalization of the consciousness of "us" and "them".
The big question is, if in Israel they will finally begin to question the traditional policy of not upsetting the dictators, lest the Jews living under their regimes be swallowed up.
For example, how hard Israel tried not to upset the Belarusian Lukashenko!
How much cordial neutrality she showed towards him despite the fears of repression in 2020.
How unrepentant her mouth was to condemn even crimes against international law.
In return, came anti-Semitic statements and Soviet-style holocaust denial.
Time after time, Israel hides behind the claim of protecting the Jewish communities, which both assumes that the Jews are actually hostages in their countries and is not applicable as long as foreign citizens are involved.
Time and time again considerations of "Realpolitik" are also brought up, in the name of which one can always turn a blind eye to injustices.
And here these two conceptual pillars turn out to be broken reeds.
There are good reasons to doubt the possibility of a change of attitude, if only because this requires a renewed thought about Israel's place in the world, and at a deeper level - a thought about the status of the Jewish people among the nations.
Beneath the pragmatic decisions are hidden centuries of practical divergence and mystical explanations of essential superiority.
There is also the inertia of the expatriate caution, which taught not to upset those in power, be it the local freak or the modern nation state.
On the other hand, perhaps out of spite - will come for its own sake, and precisely through the harassment of Jewish activity, Israel will develop a self-view, and see itself as more than just a fragile shelter for Jews - as a regional power, we have long been able to afford it.
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