International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, March 25, 2003

A Russian court ruled yesterday that there a government-endorsed textbook that describes Jews as power hungry and greedy is completely legal, a rights group said.

The Moscow-based Movement for Human Rights had asked the court to force prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into the textbook, "The Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture." The book, endorsed by the Education Ministry and the Russian Orthodox Church for use in public schools, says the Jews forced Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus because "they thought only about power over other peoples and earthly wealth."

In addition to attacking Jews, the textbook accuses Russia's non-Orthodox "guests" of "not always behaving nobly in the traditionally Orthodox state."

Federal prosecutors had passed the issue over to local Moscow prosecutors, who refused to open a case. In December 2002, the Meshchansky court ruled that the prosecutors' refusal was, in fact, illegal. The prosecutors then issued a second refusal, which was upheld by the court on Monday, the Movement for Human Rights said.