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On 3/15/14 2:29 PM, Marv Gandall wrote:
As for Jewish opinion, you cite a single source, one which would not
want to rock the boat in present circumstances, while ignoring that
the World Jewish Congress has labelled the party as "neo-Nazi" and
called for it to be banned.
I was citing a single Ukrainian Jew for the simple reason is that he was
the one who Chossudovsky and company were citing as backing the view
that Ukraine was like German in 1932 until he started saying that there
was no fascist threat. I could have cited these people as well, who
Chossudovsky and company ignored:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/03/who-s-really-behind-ukraine-s-synagogue-attacks.html
World News
03.03.14
Who’s Really Behind Ukraine’s Synagogue Attacks?
Surprisingly, Jewish leaders aren’t blaming the local neo-Nazis.
Ukraine has never been a very good country for the Jews. The 19th and
early 20th centuries were marred by pogroms against Jewish communities.
Under Soviet occupation, many Jews that stayed in Ukraine faced the
state sponsored anti-Semitism of the Communist system. More recently, a
few neo-Nazi groups have openly participated in the popular uprising
that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych baring at times swastikas.
Nonetheless, leaders of Ukraine’s small Jewish community (experts
estimate there are between 80,000 and 350,000 Jews in Ukraine) say they
are more worried about anti-Semitic attacks from Russian operatives and
Yanukovych loyalists than the nationalists who gathered in Kiev and
other cities to oust him.
“In general, in Ukraine there have not been many of these attacks and
less than in Western Europe and Europe as a whole,” Joseph Zissels, the
president of the Ukrainian Jewish community known as the Vaad, said in a
phone interview from Kiev. Zissels added it’s unclear who has been
behind these attacks, but he suspects the recent vandalism against
synagogues was provocations from Russian or pro-Russian forces who
sought to occupy his country.
(clip)
http://www.jpost.com/International/Ukrainian-Jewish-Committee-Russian-claims-of-anti-Semitism-in-Crimea-are-lies-propaganda-344828
Ukrainian Jewish Committee: Russian claims of anti-Semitism in Crimea
are lies, propaganda
By DANIEL K. EISENBUD
03/10/2014 03:27
A Ukrainian soldier stands on a military vehicle at a checkpoint at the
road near a Crimea region border March 9, 2014. Photo: REUTERS
Amid mounting Russian claims of escalating anti-Semitism propagated by
right-wing Ukrainian nationalists in the contested Crimean peninsula,
senior members of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee patently dismissed such
rhetoric as “lies” and “propaganda.”
“There is no imminent danger to Jews in Crimea,” said Edward Dolinsky,
the committee’s director-general, at a press conference held Sunday at
the Jerusalem Press Club. “The situation is being manipulated by the
Russian government to make the world believe they are protecting us.”
Dolinsky, who is visiting the capital with a Jewish delegation from
Ukraine over the next two days, said he likened Russian President
Vladimir Putin’s claims to “Nazi propaganda.”
“It’s absolutely dangerous and being said to protect Russian interests,
just like [Hitler] said he wanted to protect Germans in his propaganda,”
he said.
Moreover, Oleksandr Feldman, a member of the Ukraine parliament and
president of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, said that extreme
nationalistic groups in the country known for their unabashed
anti-Semitism have been reined in considerably.
Noting that anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery were most pronounced
during the 2012 parliament election by parties such as Svoboda, he
claimed the European Union and other embassies have since helped
significantly diminish the threat.
“The Freedom Party and Svoboda are actually failing and being suppressed
by the Right sector because they see it just doesn’t pay to speak about
Jews these days,” he said. “I believe [that] in their hearts they still
have anti-Semitic tendencies, but now it’s considered improper [to
discuss].”
Still, Feldman cautioned that we shouldn’t “fool ourselves” into
thinking the Right has “become more civilized.”
“My main message is that even though anti-Semitism that was so
pronounced in 2012 [has abated] because the EU has become involved, we
can’t change the sentiment of anti-Semitism in a few months,” he said.
“We need to continue to fight anti-Semitic tendencies, or else they will
become more public.”
With respect to Crimea’s approximately 10,000-member Jewish community,
Feldman said the peninsula’s four synagogues may become Russian, but
that Jews there are generationally divided over the prospect of secession.
“Half say they are happy to be part of the Russian Federation because of
the social benefits; they claim that their pensions will be three times
higher there,” he said. “But rabbis and the younger generation are
strongly against it because they want to raise their children in Ukraine.”
Feldman added that his delegation has not been invited to meet with
government officials in the capital during its visit, and claimed that
the Ukrainian Jewish community is “highly frustrated” by the Israeli
government’s lackluster response to the nation’s upheaval.
While he said he met with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman one month
ago and submitted a written request from the Jews in Ukraine for the
government to help increase security in their communities, he said
little has come to fruition.
“Liberman forwarded our request to the Jewish Agency, which since [then
has] issued a statement with the intention to help and [allocated]
$5,000,” he said. “However, our request to have Israeli security
professionals inspect schools and communities has yet to be implemented.”
“We have asked the Foreign Ministry to issue a clear statement of
support to a country which is struggling for its independence and
sovereignty, but have yet to see one,” he said.
Still, Feldman did not elaborate on why Israeli security experts were
needed, noting that there has been no discussion in Ukraine about a
“Jewish state of emergency.”
“We don’t think it will get to that point,” he said. “But we are
prepared for such a situation.”
He said he is disappointed that the Israeli government has not offered
financial support for the hospital care of nine non-Jewish Ukrainians
sent to Israel after being seriously injured during recent rioting.
“The government has not responded to our financial requests,” he said.
“We ask that it respond to these nine individuals as a [goodwill]
gesture to create a partnership with Ukraine in our many endeavors.”
Feldman added that on April 2 the Ukrainian Jewish Committee will host
its fourth annual interfaith national forum, featuring participants from
50 countries coming together to discuss anti-Semitism.
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