As reported by Axios, Russia last Saturday released a list of 963 Americans who are banned from traveling to Russia in retaliation for American sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. JTA reports that included in the list are three rabbis who are leaders of Agudas Chassidei Chabad which has been attempting for years to force Russia to return to it in the U.S. two expropriated collections of valuable Jewish religious books and manuscripts:
Rabbi Avraham Shemtov, a founder of the Washington office of the movement, American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), that has led lobbying for U.S. pressure on Russia;
Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, the umbrella group’s secretary, who heads the educational and social arms of Chabad-Lubavitch; and
Rabbi Shlomo Cunin, a West Coast leader of the movement who is prominent in the branch of the movement seeking the return of the texts.
It has been suggested recently that Chabad now has a better chance of getting at assets to satisfy fines imposed on Russia by an American court for Russia's refusal to return the books.
