Leader of World Association of Belarusian Jews Leaves Belarus in Protest against State Policy of Anti-Semitism

Jacob Gutman, leader of the World Association of Belarusian Jews, decided to move to the United States. He leaves Belarus in protest against the policy of state anti-Semitism, carried out by the Belarusian authorities.
Jacob Gutman told RFE/RL reporter, he is going to keep his Belarusian citizenship, but will live in New York until the change of the political leadership in our country.
According to Mr. Gutman, there is a strong organization of Belarusian Jews in New York. With their help he is going to appeal to the US government asking to defend the Jewish heritage in Belarus.
Let us remind the readers, Jacob is one of the few, who took an active stand against destruction of the former synagogue building in Minsk, Jewish cemeteries in many Belarusian towns, and protested against publication of anti-Semitic literature. Mr. Gutman says, recently many people with active civic position have faced the necessity to leave Belarus.