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World Jewish News
Israel Asks Russia for the Jewish Treasures and Cabbalistic manuscripts
09.04.2009
Israeli Foreign Ministry has raised the issue of transferring to Jerusalem the Baron Gintsburg's library - a unique collection of ancient works on Jewish theology and law, which is being kept in Moscow. IS the collection of Jewish rarities a return gesture from Russia after receiving Sergievsky compound in Jerusalem?
Israeli Foreign Ministry has begun negotiations with Russia on the transfer of the library of Baron David Gintsburg (1857-1910), bequeathed by him to the Jewish Public Library in Jerusalem. "This process has just begun. But this issue
has already been discussed with Russia," said the Ambassador of Israel in Moscow Anna Azari in an interview to the IzRus portal. She hopes that the authorities of Russia in this matter will show the same attitude that Israel showed when transferring the Sergievsky compound in Jerusalem to the Russians. "We do not link these two issues (the library and the compound), and do not put forward conditions, but because Israel has done a lot to facilitate the transfer of Sergievsky compound, we hope to receive the same attitude in the issue of the Gintsburg's library," emphasized Azari.
The Ambassador also pointed out that the abolition of the visa regime between Israel and Russia has justified itself completely by becoming a "step towards a political rapprochement between the countries." Now the transfer of Sergievsky compound and the "move" of Gintsburg's collection to Jerusalem may be additional steps in strengthening mutual trust and understanding between the two countries.
As noted by Anna Azari, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had met with the new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and did not feel any problems with the new government.
Yuri Grachev also shared his opinion about the library's fate with the IzRus portal. Grachev is the Deputy of Sergei Stepashin, head of Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society (IOPS), which by the order of Vladimir Putin is
responsible for the return of Russia's historic property in the Holy Land. "I would try to link these two events (the return of Sergievsky compound and Gintsburg's collection). In order to enhance mutual understanding, people can
give one another gifts. The better the lives of my friends are, the better is my own. We asked, and were met halfway," emphasized Grachev. Through the IzRus portal he transmitted his first public "message" to Israeli
authorities: "Let's cut the ribbon when the Ministry of Agriculture releases the compound, and when Vladimir Vladimirovich, a proponent of all these processes, will pass over (to you) the library of Baron Gintsburg. Let's make such a beautiful gesture."
David Gintsburg
In 2002, the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) funded the restoration of the most ancient manuscripts from the collection of Gintsburg, as well as renovation of
the Hall of Jewish books of the Russian State Library (RSL) in Moscow, where most of this collection is kept. That is why the IzRus portal decided to find out the position of the organization on the transfer to Israel of such a unique
heritage of the Russian scientist-orientalist. "Given that Gintsburg bequeathed his collection of books to the Jewish Public Library in Jerusalem, we understand the correctness of claims on this collection from the Israeli side," said the RJC press secretary Mikhail Savin. "But at the same it would be a pity if Gintsburg's collection left Russia. First of all, two steps away from the RSL, at the Institute of Asian and African Studies of Lomonosov Moscow State
University, the MSU Dept. of Judaism has been functioning since 2005. It is not only a unique scientific and educational center with no analogues in Eastern Europe in the number of teachers of Jewish studies, but also a prominent Jewish academic structure, leading in the scale of its community activities.
Gintsburg's collection is a valuable source of knowledge for the department. In addition, if the ancient Hebrew books remain in Russia, they will continue to perform here their cultural function, contribute to further spread of knowledge about the initial period of Jewish book printing and draw attention of a lot of specialists and researchers to this subject."
The fact that Russia keeps numerous cultural and historical values of the Jewish people is one of the most problematic aspects of the relations of Moscow and Jerusalem. Moreover, in some cases, like in the story of Gintsburg's library,
former legal owners bequeathed their rarities to the future Jewish state.
However, the present case is more of an exception - Israel usually does not raise the issue of transfer of these values, so as not to spoil relations with Russia. The problem is also that on the Israeli side, neither of the
governmental bodies have ever seriously dealt with the issue. While the Jewish treasures kept by Russia are not only of great historical and cultural value, but in the commercial equivalent their roughly estimated cost totals to billions of dollars. In this context, not only the library of Baron Gintsburg stands out, but also the unique ethnographic collection of Semen Ansky (antiquities of Jewish shtetls of Ukraine, Belarus and Galicia, including some 7000 art works), and numerous collections of cultural property of the Jewish communities from all over Europe, moved to the Soviet Union after the capitulation of Nazi Germany.
Shimon Briman
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