Russian National Guard signs landmark deal with Jewish community leaders

Russia’s National Guard Service (Rosgvardia) and the country’s Federation of Jewish Communities have sealed a cooperation agreement, the law enforcement agency has announced. Such work is important in terms of ensuring inter-ethnic and inter-religious cohesion in the country, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

In 2020, Aleksandr Boroda, who has been the president of the Jewish federation since 2008, estimated that more than 200,000 active members of the community were living in Russia at the time.

A year later, The Jewish Agency for Israel, the largest Jewish non-profit in the world, reported that the country ranked 7th globally in terms of the number of Jewish residents, putting the number at 150,000.

On Tuesday, the national guard’s press office released a statement, announcing the signing of the agreement. Representing Rosgvardia was its deputy chief, Aleksey Vorobyov; Boroda was the other signatory.

The former described the occasion as a “historic step” and a testament to close cooperation between Rosgvardia and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.

According to the national guard’s press office, the accord aims to deepen the partnership between the organizations in order to fight xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

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