Crimea Related Sanctions Lead To Issues For Russian Jews

After the United States and Western European nations imposed sanctions on Russia over of its annexation of Crimea and its support for rebels in eastern Ukraine, Russia imposed counter-sanctions barring import of European agricultural products.  To make up for the lost European produce, agricultural imports from Israel to Russia have increased dramatically.  According to yesterday's Jerusalem Post, this has created problems for religious Jews in Russia who want to comply with strict interpretations of religious law barring consumption of produce grown in Israel during the Biblical sabbatical year (which is this year). Russia's Congress of Jewish Religious Organizations met in Moscow this week to discuss the matter.