The articles of mine that have been collected here arose quite reactively, as a reaction to the of the Church and Russia that came across in the activities of Jewish journalists. Well, the main thing has already been said: if there are no injections, there will be no reaction. Those who agree with this need not read the following hundreds of pages: they are only illustrations of this thesis.

There is no analysis of the "current situation" in this book. Rather, its very appearance is a fact that needs to be analyzed. The fact is that here is another person who was brought up in a university and academic environment, who from childhood learned an intolerant attitude towards "zoological anti-Semitism", nevertheless went beyond the red flags of "political correctness". Why?

On these pages, I present the material with which the encounter led me not to a revision, no, but to an expansion of the idea of "Russians and Jews". To this day, I do not renounce my article "Anti-Semitism is a sin" (Jewish Newspaper. No 1, 1992)[4]. But in addition to this, something else has to be said on the stated topic.

This collection is more of a confession than an accusation. Yes, anti-Semitism is a sin, for all hatred is sinful. And irritation and indignation are the first step to hatred. I don't want hatred to make a nest in my soul. But still, I can't help but notice that reading the democratic press provokes reactions in me that I had never experienced before. I felt that strange shadows were suddenly beginning to flicker in my soul. The rules of asceticism in such cases tell you to take a closer look: where does this feeling of spiritual and moral impurity come from, what provokes these attacks.

A Christian, of course, must be ready to see his guilt, his sin in any unpleasant incident. But is the indignation that is born when hearing blasphemy a sin? Who is more to blame in this case – the blasphemer, or the Christian, in whose presence this blasphemy was uttered and who, perhaps, even stood up too hot-tempered for the desecrated shrine?

Well, in order to avoid this temper, you need to talk calmly. To begin with, you need to admit that there is a problem. There is a problem of the inadmissibly disdainful attitude of some Jewish publicists to the religious and national feelings of the Russian people. And there is the problem of the unacceptably harsh reaction of some of the Russians to these insults.

I understand that first of all, the problem is in our own weaknesses. Saladin is said to have said after a conversation with Francis of Assisi that if all Christians were like that, he would gladly give them the Holy Land. If I had more love, prayerfulness, and spirituality, I would not be irritated when I encountered anti-Russian and anti-Church attacks, but would only cry with heartfelt contrition for the people whom the Lord allowed to fall into such darkness, and for my own sins, which prevent other people, including our detractors, from seeing the true light of the Gospel[6]... But it is not the Seraphim of Sarov that inhabited the Russian land.

And to bully a knowingly sick, imperfect person[7], to push him to impulsive reactions is both a bad and dangerous thing. Even a saint and a recluse can not stand it – and say in his heart: "Today everyone is for the Jews. The Moscow bishop blurted out a sermon. It was so unpleasant to read it. The Jews in those areas where they were beaten suck blood from the people without any pity. Seeing that the government did not stand up for them, they decided to settle accounts with the offenders themselves. They say that the people have done wrong; And they will not pay attention to the fact that the people were offended. Here they found the guilty - and the Jews are holy. These should have been punished, that is, the peasants, and the Jews should have been subjected to strict surveillance, and hanged for any trick. Then, perhaps, they would have become more subdued."[8]

The problems posed by this book should not be blocked by a pre-prepared curse: "anti-Semitism." Anti-Semitic texts are addressed to "like-minded people", they are designed to charge readers with their anger and help them see enemies where the designer of the anti-Semitic text sees them. I am not addressing the Cossacks. In the course of my arguments, I first of all turn to the Jews themselves. And I just ask them to understand the pain that some of their statements cause me and many people I know. I am not calling for pogroms or restrictions on the rights of Jews. More precisely, I am calling for the Jews themselves to limit themselves in one thing: that they deny themselves the right to publicly express opinions that are offensive to other peoples and cultures.

This is all the more appropriate since over the past hundred years, the roles have changed decisively – and what was excusable for the persecuted is not forgivable for those in power.

In response to the first edition of this book of mine, Alexander Nezhny tried to read my thoughts: "It is clear where the honorable father deacon chose a place for his trench. He would have considered his work to have failed if the reader, turning its last page, had not been filled with hatred for the Jews who destroyed Russia. In comparison with him, a professor and twice a candidate, the foul-mouthed general Makashov seems to be just an ordinary hooligan. His love of God is much more terrible for the public consciousness"[9].

I have to disappoint the heart scientist and telepath: you counted the mental wave from the wrong brain, Alexander Iosifovich. I'm not going to the trenches. If we are to speak of trench seats, I must note that a negative review of the book "How to Make an Anti-Semite" was also heard from the "anti-ecumenical" camp[10].

I would "consider my work to have achieved its goal" not at all in the event of the outbreak of pogroms.

My wish, which was not read or understood by Nezhny, was that a calm conversation should begin. And for this, it is necessary that the topic of Russian-Jewish relations is not listed among the topics forbidden to Russian journalists and allowed only to Jews. I, like him, do not want there to be pogroms in Russia. But I have my own reasons for this reluctance. One of them (in addition to the usual humanistic ones): I do not want Russia and the Russian Church to be disgraced by such a terrible, uncontrollable outburst of destructive and evil energy.