Moscow court postpones hearing on liquidation of Jewish Agency in Russia

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - A Moscow court on Friday postponed a hearing on the prohibition of activities by the Jewish Agency for Israel in Russia.

The Basmanny city court set the new hearing for Sept. 19, according to information shared on its website.

Last month, the Justice Ministry filed a petition saying the agency, which provides assistance in the repatriation of Jews to Israel, had violated the country's laws and demanded to dissolve the organization in Russia. A first hearing was held on July 28.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has warned that the closure of the organization's offices would affect bilateral relations. In Russia, the group has offices in nine cities.

An Israeli delegation visited Russia, and President Isaac Herzog also spoke to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the issue.

A representative of the agency had earlier said they could temporarily switch their work mode in Russia to remote.

According to the organization, over 165,000 Jews have been living in Russia as of early 2022.