April 24, 2014
Dear Friend of Israel,
It was a scene reminiscent of life in Nazi-occupied countries during World War II. Last week, Jewish residents of the eastern Ukraine city of Donetsk reported that while standing outside of a synagogue they were met by masked men passing out flyers demanding that Jewish residents immediately register their citizenship and their property. Failure to comply, the flyers said, would result in revocation of citizenship, confiscation of property, and deportation. A $50 fee was required for the “registration.”
The flyers bore the name of Denis Pushilin, a prominent pro-Russian separatist who now heads Donetsk’s provisional government. Pushilin denied any connection to the flyers, calling them a hoax and a “provocation” by Ukrainian sympathizers. To date, it’s uncertain who exactly is responsible for sending this reprehensible message to Donetsk’s Jews.
And in some respects, asking who is responsible is missing the point. If the flyers were not created and distributed by a pro-Russian group – if, instead, they were created by pro-Ukrainians to discredit the Russians – it is hardly a comfort. And it certainly won’t help alleviate the fears of Ukraine’s Jewish community, who see themselves as mere pawns in the bitter power struggle that has caused widespread civil unrest and violence in the region.
That someone was able to distribute the flyers with no fear of retribution from civil authorities, or with no fear of public backlash, highlights the anti-Semitism that took root long ago in this part of the world and continues to this day, as well as the great uncertainty and unease that Ukrainian Jews face. One rabbi in Donetsk summed it up: “Last time Donetsk saw similar messages was in 1941, when the Nazi German army occupied Donetsk. It is so painful for us to see that some cynical politicians dare to use us as an instrument in their political games.” Another commented, “… for us, it doesn’t matter who made it. For us, the terrible fact is that someone made it.”
All of this occurs as Jews around the world prepare to observe Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) beginning at sundown on Sunday, April 27. On this day we honor those who were murdered during that horrible chapter in history, and give thanks for those who fought back against Nazi evil. And it’s also an appropriate time to remind ourselves that, though we often like to think we live in a more civilized time, the animating force behind the Holocaust – hateful anti-Semitism – is as alive and well as it ever has been.
We see this today whenever we turn on the news. In Ukraine, a synagogue is firebombed and Jewish institutions are vandalized. In the suburbs of Kansas City, an avowed anti-Semite and white supremacist attacks a Jewish community center, killing three. In France, a Jewish teacher is beaten by three Arab men, and a swastika is drawn on his chest. And, sadly, the list could go on.
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, please take a moment to remember all those who were murdered simply because they were Jewish, as well as those who stood up to protect the innocent and fight for what is right – among them many Christians who we now recognize and honor as “righteous gentiles.” But also keep the Jewish community of Ukraine, and Jews anywhere who must live daily with the threat of anti-Semitic hatred, intimidation, and violence, in your prayers. And pray, too, for the day that God will bring to all of us His most precious gift – the gift of shalom, peace.
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
Founder and President
