One of the powerful moments of the High Holidays liturgy is the vidui prayer, when all the Jews in the congregation, rhythmically beating themselves on the chest, ask forgiveness for terrible crimes most have never personally committed: “We’ve betrayed, we’ve robbed, we’ve slandered, we’ve deceived …”. As human beings we are all interconnected and responsible for one another. And as we go through the list of offenses, the feeling of collective guilt becomes more and more personal. Even if I haven’t deliberately committed any of those sins, how many times have I remained indifferent when someone else’s life or dignity were assaulted?
The Russian cultural, religious and ideological master narrative is quite different. Despite the canonical values of humility and repentance, Russians have tended to blame external forces for their transgressions, portraying themselves as victims rather than as perpetrators. During centuries of various authoritarian regimes people got used to delegating most important decisions to their rulers. “But we didn’t know … No one asked us…. What can we do anyway?…” are common mantras. So today, just a week after the introduction of unprecedented economic sanctions against Russia, many wonder why they deserve such collective punishment.
While compared to what Ukrainians have been enduring since February 24 this may seem trifling, sanctions have indeed impacted the life of average Russian citizens. Many have seen their life savings plummet as the rouble lost nearly half its value overnight.
Please read the full article on The Times of Israel - see the link below...
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