Putin insists historic collection of Jewish writings will stay in Russia

President Vladimir Putin yesterday restated Russia’s ownership of the controversial Schneerson Collection, a library of Jewish books and documents that are subject to a legal claim from the Chabad-Lubavitch group, adherents of the Hasidic branch of Orthodox Judaism.

During yesterday’s visit to Moscow’s recently opened Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre, Putin said: “The Schneerson Collection belongs to Russia.” He stressed the risk of setting a precedent for the return of items seized from the Nazis by the Red Army during World War Two and suggested that the museum would be a good home for the collection.

In January this year, a Washington court fined the Russian government $50,000 for not surrendering the collection to the New York-based Chabad Lubavitch group following a 2010 ruling in their favour.