JEWISH WORLD

By JONATHAN S. TOBIN W e already knew that the Genesis Prize was not really the “Jewish Nobel Prize,” as its public-relations flacks have trained so many journalists to call it. Since its inception in 2012, it has been a parody of the world-famous Swedish prizes. We also already knew that the last thing that the Jewish people needed right now was another excuse for the organ- ized world to slobber over celebri- ties and fat cats. But last year, when the organizers decided to pump up the publicity for their annual extrav- aganza by holding an Internet poll to decide their winner for 2021, they took the next step towards dumbing down an already ridicu- lous exercise. We all knew that one of the celebrities that were among the “nominees” for the prize would be the winner of the poll; I wrote as much at the time. And that’s exact- ly what happened when film direc- tor Steven Spielberg finished first and has now been named the win- ner of the award. But in putting a group of merely famous people, including entertain- ers Barbra Streisand, Gal Gadot, Sacha Baron Cohen, entrepreneur Marc Beniof and, more defensibly, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, up against Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks — one of the truly great Jews of our time — the Genesis committee had set itself up for criticism that it wasn’t so much seeking to inspire Jews as to reflect their shortcomings. F ate gave them an opportunity to rec- tify the situation when, sadly, Sacks passed away in November while the voting was being held. Had those running the Genesis Prize possessed a scrap of good sense, they would have closed down the voting then and there, and declared that Sacks would be given the award post- humously. Doing so would have been no disrespect to any of the others who had been persuaded to take part in this farce. Even the devoted fans of each of the By EMIL AVDALIANI H uge protests recently held in Russia over the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny could become a country- wide movement against the ruling political elite. The immediate rea- sons for the large public demonstra- tions are the poisoning of Navalny and a series of videos of corruption schemes that incriminate President Vladimir Putin himself. Other factors, however, are the real driving force behind the protests. They include anger over falling living standards, pandemic- related troubles, diminished politi- cal freedom, and Putin’s decision to effectively remain in power beyond 2024. Though the latest protests could have been partly motivated by earlier local movements, such as the Moscow protests of summer 2019, or the regional ones that occurred in 2019–2020 in Khabarovsk, Yekaterinburg, and Shiyes, they are different in that they represent a new stage in Russian public dissent. The first indicator that these ral- lies are different is their sheer size. Totaling nearly 100,000 people, they were the largest nationwide displays of dissent in recent years. The detention of 3,700 people greatly exceeds the detentions that occurred during the wave of anti- Kremlin protests that rocked Russia in 2011 and 2012. Another indicator is the way the protests have spread. Citizens in nearly 100 cities across the coun- try took to the streets. Historically, Putin enjoyed the advantage of Russia’s geography, which precluded the spread of public dis- sent. Much has changed, however, as modern technologies have enabled the coor- dination of simultane- ous protests across Russia’s vast territory. F or nearly a decade, the Russian auth- orities treated Alexei Navalny like a minor political headache. High-level offi- cials even shied away from continued on page 20 Demonstrations could be sign that Russia is changing CANDLE LIGHTING continued on page xx 115 Middle Neck Rd. Great Neck, NY 11021 516-594-4000 The award-winning independent Jewish newspaper of Long Island Publisher & editor-in-chief Jerome Wm. Lippman Assistant Editor Jeff Helmreich Features Editor Barbara Weinblatt Travel Editor Tania Grossinger Contributors Douglas M. Bloomfield, Shira Dicker, Lawrence J. Epstein, Marcelle Sussman Fischler, Ezra Goldstein,, Sandy Portnoy, Joseph R. Rackman, Erica Rauzin, Walter Ruby, Lawrence H. Schiffman, Barbara Schultz, Jacob Stein, Carol Steinberg, Harold S. 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Spielberg wins Genesis (popularity) Prize The Genesis Prize poses as a Nobel-like award — an objective measure of tru brilliance among Jews — but why has it become a popularity contest? In the aftermath of his poisoning in Siberia and recovery in Germany, Alexei Navalny is Russia’s second most prominent voice abroad after Putin. continued on page 18 Steven Spielberg speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con International on July 22, 2017. Putin Vs. Protests ANALYSIS PERSPECTIVE Friday, February 19 Candles 5:16 pm Shabbat ends 6:17 pm Friday, February 26 Candles 5:25 pm Shabbat ends 6:25 pm 4 JEWISH WORLD • FEBRUARY 19-25, 2021 Russian police warned that unsanctioned protests would be “immediately suppressed.”