“There is a lot of antisemitism here, especially on the Internet…[and] the community is concerned. The masses have identified him as a Jew, and people here are outraged over the fraud, connecting him to the [Jewish] community. We remember our history and the Kishinev pogrom,” Lecarteva said, referring to the notorious massacre of 47 (some say 49) Jews on April 19-20, 1903 – Easter Sunday and the following day on the Eastern Orthodox calendar. In all, 92 other Jews were severely wounded, 500 were less severely injured, 700 houses were destroyed, and 600 stores were looted and pillaged.
Above: Ilan Shor
Young Moldovan Jewish Businessman Under Arrest In Alleged $1 Billion Looting Of Poor Country’s Banks
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
The Jewish community in the desperately poor Eastern European country of Moldova fears the arrest of a local Jewish businessman, Ilan Shor, in the $1 billion looting of local banks will spark a new wave of antisemitism.
According to a report in the Algemeiner based on a report by Israel’s Channel 2 News, Marina Lecarteva, a leader of Moldova’s organized Jewish community, told Israel’s Channel 2 News Shor’s arrest and his alleged behavior are dangerous.
“There is a lot of antisemitism here, especially on the Internet…[and] the community is concerned. The masses have identified him as a Jew, and people here are outraged over the fraud, connecting him to the [Jewish] community. We remember our history and the Kishinev pogrom,” Lecarteva said, referring to the notorious massacre of 47 (some say 49) Jews on April 19-20, 1903 – Easter Sunday and the following day on the Eastern Orthodox calendar. In all, 92 other Jews were severely wounded, 500 were less severely injured, 700 houses were destroyed, and 600 stores were looted and pillaged. Police did not attempt to stop the rioters until Tuesday, April 21 – three days after the anti-Jewish riots, provoked by a blood libel, began.
Lecarteva said Shor’s alleged thefts will likely exacerbate the anti-Semitism that already exists in Moldova.
Channel 2 noted Lecarteva said the small Moldovan Jewish community, which numbers between 35,000 and 40,000 members, “has not yet seen any violence, with an emphasis on [the word] ‘yet.’”
Shor, a 28-year-old millionaire, reportedly made his fortune selling duty-free goods at Chisinau (the current name for Kishniev) International Airport.
The missing $1 billion amounts to about one-eighth of Moldova’s annual gross domestic product (GDP).
According to a confidential report by Kroll – a US-based company that bills itself as a “global leader in risk mitigation and response” and which provides investigate services, research and cyber-security, among other services, for some of the world’s top businesses – companies tied to Shor took control of the Moldovan banks which then allegedly issued large loans to other companies linked to Shor.
While it is still unclear if he played a personal role in the alleged thefts, Shor has been under house arrest since May 6.
[Hat Tip: The Lion.]