Situation of Jews

 

MAP

Source : Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eastern Europe on File (New York : Facts on File, 1993).

GLOSSARY

AUJC     All-Ukrainian Jewish Congress (also referred to as the VYeK)

CUN       Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists

DSU        State Independence of Ukraine

NCSJ      National Council on Soviet Jewry

NFP        Nationalist Fascist Party

OUI         Organization of Ukrainian Idealists

OUN       Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists

PDP        People's Democratic Party

Rukh       Ukrainian Popular Movement (UPM)

SNPU     Ukrainian Social-National Party

UCSJ      Union of Councils for Soviet Jews

UKRP     Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party

UNA       Ukrainian National Assembly

URP        Ukrainian Republican Party

VAAD    Association of Jewish Communities and Organizations of Ukraine

1. INTRODUCTION

This Issue Paper provides information on the situation of Jews in Ukraine from March 1997 to early December 1998. It updates information on the situation of Jews contained in the Research Directorate Question and Answer Series papers entitled Ukraine: Chronology of Events March 1994 – September 1995, published in November 1995, and Ukraine: The Situation of Ethnic Minorities,published in September 1993, available on REFQUEST and in the Regional Documentation Centres. Research Directorate documents published since 1995 are also available on the IRB website (http://www.irb.gc.ca).

1.1 Demography

With an estimated population of 500,000- 600,000, representing about 1.3 per cent of the total Ukrainian population, Jews are the second largest of the 130 minority groups in Ukraine, after Russians (Frémy and Frémy 1997, 1200; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; Interfax 13 Aug. 1998; World Directory of Minorities 1997, 317; Country Reports 1997 1998, 1372; Jaworsky 1998, 107; AFP 28 May 1998). In addition, Jews in Ukraine represent the fourth or fifth largest Jewish community in the world (Kiyevskiye Vedomosti 21 June 1997; Reuters 6 May 1996; Kuropas 28 Oct. 1998). Ninety-one per cent of Ukrainian Jews are Russian-speakers (World Directory of Minorities 1997, 321). According to the Washington-based National Council on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ), more than half of the Jewish population lives in urban areas, and is distributed over more than 100 cities (9 Feb. 1998, n.p.). Approximately 95,000-100,000 Jews live in the capital, Kiev; 50,000 and 60,000 in the eastern cities of Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk respectively; and 60,000-70,000 in the southern city of Odessa (ibid.; Duwalko 21 Oct. 1998; AP 29 Sept. 1997). According to the NCSJ, from 1989 to 1996, between 350,000 and 400,000 Jews are estimated to have emigrated from Ukraine, including some 200,000 to Israel, 100,000 to the United States, 50,000 to Germany and 50,000 to other countries (9 Feb. 1998, n.p.). While the NCSJ further reported that an estimated 16,000 Ukrainian Jews emigrated to Israel from January to September 1997, according to Israeli Industry and Trade Minister Natan Sharansky, 30,000 Ukrainian Jews emigrated to Israel in 1997 "mainly due to the difficult economic situation…not to anti-Semitism" (ibid., The Jerusalem Post 13 Feb. 1998). In an April 1997 news report, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Gennadiy Udovenko stated the country's Jews who had emigrated to Israel were "maintaining ties with Ukraine" and had no "anti-Ukrainian feelings" (Interfax 14 Apr. 1997).

Concerned about an aging Jewish population[1]1 and the exodus of young Jews, Ukrainian Jewish communities have set up myriad cultural, religious, and welfare programmes since independence in 1991 with help from overseas aid organizations notably from Israel and the United States (NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; UCSJ May 1997, 125; DPA 27 Aug. 1996; The Jerusalem Post 26 Oct. 1997). The establishment of these programmes has sparked a Jewish revival in Ukraine (DPA 27 Aug. 1996; The Jerusalem Post 26 Oct. 1997). Assistant professor of political science at Waterloo University, John Jaworsky, reported that Joseph Zissels, chair of the Association of Jewish Communities and Organizations of Ukraine (VAAD), stated that the Jewish community in Ukraine is the most active of all Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union (1998, 122).

2. JEWISH REVIVAL

After a long history of discrimination of Jews in Ukraine, independence brought about a positive change in state-Jewish relations (see section 6), creating a conducive climate for a Jewish revival in Ukraine (Jaworsky 29 Oct. 1998; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; UCSJ May 1997, 125, 138; Interfax 14 Apr. 1997). This revival has been characterized, among other things, by the opening of 14 full-time schools, including the International Solomon University[2]2 in Kiev in 1993, and the establishment of Hebrew studies departments at the Universities of Kiev and Odessa (UCSJ May 1997, 125; DPA 27 Aug. 1996). There are currently 70 Sunday schools, 11 daycare centres, 8 yeshivas (religious schools for men) and 70 ulpans (Judaic study centres) in Ukraine, where around 20,000 children and adults receive instruction and more than 300 teachers are employed, as well as 40 Jewish religious societies and 24 synagogues operating in Ukraine (AUJC n.d.2; ibid. n.d.3). In February 1998, the NCSJ and the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews (UCSJ) reported that, with two synagogues, three Jewish newspapers, and two professional theatre companies, the Jewish community in Kiev has continued to expand its activities (9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; UCSJ May 1997, 125).

The Jewish revival in Ukraine has also been manifested in the resumption of the annual Hasidic Jewish pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Nakhman of Bratzlav in the town of Uman, about 200 kilometres south of Kiev, marking the Jewish New Year at the end of September (DPA 2 Oct. 1997). In a 27 October 1998 telephone interview, Taras Malyshevski, Press Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine in Ottawa, stated the government of Ukraine had recently announced plans to build a 10,000-seat synagogue in Uman. Both the government and the Jewish community will reportedly fund the construction (Embassy of Ukraine 27 Oct. 1998). It was not clear at the time of writing when construction would begin.

There are between 200 and 250 Jewish organizations based in at least 80 cities in Ukraine (NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; UCSJ May 1997, 125). These organizations include the following four umbrella groups: the VAAD, which addresses communal, charitable, educational, cultural and political issues and assists Jews wishing to emigrate; the Jewish Council of Ukraine, which promotes Yiddish culture, publishes books and promotes the establishment of Holocaust memorials; the Union of Jewish Religious Communities of Ukraine, which has 70 member organizations; and the All-Ukrainian Jewish Congress (AUJC), which has over 200 member organizations including public and cultural associations throughout the country (NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; UCSJ May 1997, 125; AUJC n.d.1). Founded in April 1997, the AUJC is led by businessman and chairman of the Ukrainian Israeli Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vadim Rabinovich (ibid.; Kiyevskiye Vedomosti 21 June 1997; Nezavisimost 18 Feb. 1998). The AUJC's mandate is to coordinate the work of Jewish groups, fund communal projects, counter anti-Semitism, seek restitution of Jewish property, promote the development of small and medium businesses, and ensure the eventual self-sufficiency of Jewish groups (Jewish Telegraphic Agency 24 Dec. 1997; AUJC n.d.1; see also Nezavisimost 18 Feb. 1998). In the second half of 1998, the AUJC began publishing the weekly newspaper, VEK (Age) (AUJC n.d.4). According to the AUJC, "the weekly covers [the] active role[s] Jews are playing today in the public-political and socio-economic life of Ukraine" (ibid.). An 18 December 1997 news article in the Kiev-based Ukrayina Moloda reported that the AUJC also planned "to promote election of Jewish community representatives to representative power bodies and to influence the lawmaking process," further stating, however, that it was not clear how this was to be achieved. At its second meeting held in Kiev on 17-18 December 1997, the AUJC announced it had raised about $2.5 million among Ukrainian business people to support the Jewish community (Jewish Telegraphic Agency 24 Dec. 1997; Ukrayina Moloda 20 Dec. 1997; AUJC Dec. 1997). According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the Congress planned to allocate 35 per cent of its funds to create welfare programmes to meet the needs of the elderly; 15 per cent to fund Jewish educational institutions; 10 per cent to support Jewish communities; 9 per cent to assist youth programmes; 6 per cent to pay for activities memorializing the Holocaust; and 4 per cent to help programmes assisting aliyah (the migration of Jews to Israel) (24 Dec. 1997; see also Ukrayina Moloda 20 Dec. 1997). The source did not specify how the remaining 21 per cent would be allocated.

3. RELATIONS BETWEEN JEWS AND NON-JEWS

Sources widely acknowledge that there is no state-sponsored anti-Semitism in Ukraine today (see section 6) (AFP 28 May 1998; Interfax 13 Aug. 1998; Country Reports 1997 1998, 1372; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.). Nor is there any discrimination on the basis of ethnicity in the appointment of senior government positions, according to Professor Jaworsky (1998, 117). Throughout his mandate, President Leonid Kuchma has taken a clear public stance against xenophobia and anti-Semitism (ibid., 116, 126; ibid., 29 Oct. 1998; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 4; The New York Times 6 Jan. 1995). During a 9 November 1997 radio commentary, he reportedly mentioned the need for "systematic, considered and constructive steps" to strengthen intra-national relations (Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 4). According to a report by the NCSJ, "the Kuchma Administration has been cooperative in supporting the Jewish religious and cultural revival and in improving inter-faith relations among different religious groups in Ukraine" (9 Feb. 1998, n.p.). According to Professor Jaworsky, "the most obvious factor which has influenced the maintenance of inter-ethnic calm in Ukraine is a consistent government stance, with strong support in the Ukrainian parliament, aimed at reassuring ethnic minorities concerning their legal status and cultural freedom" (1998, 115). According to the World Directory of Minorities, "the majority of politicians view Ukraine in terms of a melting pot for different peoples and cultures rather than as an ethnically defined state" (1997, 321).

Several sources stated that the government's positive record with respect to the Jewish minority is tempered by some manifestations of anti-Semitism at the societal level, although the sources differed on the extent of the problem (Embassy of Ukraine to the USA 15 Jan. 1998, 1-2; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; Jaworsky 29 Oct. 1998; Country Reports 1997 1998, 1361; Terlitsky 3 Dec. 1998). An NCSJ report stated that popular anti-Semitism in Ukraine was "escalating" while Country Reports 1997 reported it was "significant" (Country Reports 1997 1998, 1361; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.). Leonard Terlitsky, representative in the Former Soviet Union, of the New York-based Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), also indicated that anti-Semitism was significant (3 Dec. 1998). The NCSJ report added, "Anti-Semitic graffiti and literature, rumors of pogroms, and verbal and physical harassment of Jewish students are a few of many examples of the negative attitudes toward Jews that continue to persist in regions of Ukraine today" (9 Feb. 1998, n.p.).

The director of the UCSJ, Micah Naftalin, reported a 24 June 1998 interview, which he had conducted with one Jew from Lviv and one from Kiev, in which they described an intense anti-Semitic climate in western Ukraine (UCSJ July 1998, 4). The men said that Jews are frequently blamed for the poor economic conditions in Ukraine (ibid).

In contrast, both Antisemitism World Report 1997 and Jaworsky described anti-Semitism in Ukraine as a "marginal" phenomenon (1997, 4; Jaworsky 29 Oct. 1998). Similarly, in an Agence France Press (AFP) news report, Ilias Levitas, a Ukrainian Jewish community leader, was quoted as saying there were only limited signs of anti-Semitism in ordinary life (28 May 1998).

In late May 1998, a conference about minorities and democratization in Central and Eastern Europe organized by the European Centre on Actions against Anti-Semitism and Racism (CERA), the European Jewish Congress, and the AUJC under the guidance of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and UNESCO was held in Kiev (AUJC 4 June 1998; AFP 28 May 1998). At the conference CERA's secretary-general, Serge Cwajgenbaum indicated that, though not perfect, Ukraine is overall tolerant towards Jews (ibid.). In an interview published in a 1998 issue of Nezavisimost, Rabinovich emphasized that, despite the existence of anti-Semitic publications, he did not believe Ukraine "to be any more anti-Semitic than many other countries" (18 Feb. 1998). In a 27 October 1998 interview, Professor Paul Robert Magocsi from the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto stated that anti-Semitism, which he defined as the hostile singling-out of Jews, does not exist in Ukraine, since other minorities are equally targeted by extremists.

Sources consulted also differed on the extent of regional differences in the treatment of Jews by the local population. Magocsi stated that relations between Jews and the rest of the population were best in the far western Transcarpathian region and "generally fine" in eastern Ukraine (27 Oct. 1998). He added that in the northern region of Galicia there may be occasional "inklings of negative sentiment" toward Jews, which he did not qualify as anti-Semitism (ibid.). However, both Terlitsky and the UCSJ specified that anti-Semitism was prevalent in parts of western Ukraine (Terlitsky 3 Dec. 1998; UCSJ May 1997, 126, 131).

4. EXTREMIST AND NATIONALIST GROUPS

While the Constitution of Ukraine prohibits parties and organizations that foster ethnic, racial or religious hatred, a number of extremist, nationalist groups exist in Ukraine (Flanz Jan. 1997, 17; Country Reports 1997 1998, 1367-68, 1372; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 2; Jaworsky 1998, 124). The NCSJ, the UCSJ and the Antisemitism World Report 1997 attribute the growth of right-wing extremist groups, concentrated mainly in parts of western Ukraine to economic and political instability linked to the process of democratization since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 (UCSJ May 1997, 139; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 5).

Although several oral sources stated these groups had almost no popular support (Jaworsky 29 Oct. 1998; Kuropas 28 Oct. 1998; Magocsi 27 Oct. 1998), a 10 March 1998 news report in The Post quoted Andrey Stetskiv, head of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Lviv, as saying that extremist parties "are still an influential force in the Lviv region…[receiving support] from student radicals and older victims of Soviet repression". Stetskiv reportedly added that the Lviv branches of the PDP and the Rukh party had united to form a block called "Our City" to stop extremist parties such as the National Front block (see section 4.4) and the Ukrainian Social-National Party (SNPU) (see section 4.3) from obtaining political power in the 29 March 1998 parliamentary election (ibid.). (See section 7 for election information.)

Although information on their activities is scant, extremist nationalist groups appear primarily to be involved in spreading propaganda through the publication of newspapers and leaflets (Country Reports 1997 1998, 1372; UCSJ July 1998, 1; ibid. May 1997, 126, 132; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 4). According to Antisemitism World Report 1997, anti-Semitic material disseminated by ultra-nationalist groups typically includes allegations of a world Jewish conspiracy against Ukraine, that Jews emigrating to Israel and the United States take resources away from Ukraine and that Jews undermine the Ukrainian people by providing assistance to Ukraine's "historical enemies," Russia and Poland (ibid.).

Jewish sources monitoring these publications reported that an estimated 200-300 anti-Semitic articles were published in local and national Ukrainian newspapers each year between 1991 and 1997 (UCSJ May 1997, 133; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 4; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.). At a 12 August 1998 press conference in Kiev, Rabinovich alleged a tenfold increase in the number of anti-Semitic publications in the past months (AUJC Aug. 1998; see also Interfax 13 Aug. 1998). He stated that many publications had "selected anti-Semitic themes as specialization, with complete connivance of the state bodies" (AUJC Aug. 1998; see also Interfax 13 Aug. 1998). Further information on this could not be found in the sources available. Rabinovich further reported that no newspaper had been suspended for violating the laws regulating the mass media and accused the government of not taking action following the AUJC's protests to the Information Ministry and the Religious Affairs Committee (AUJC Aug. 1998; Interfax 13 Aug. 1998). A brief description of the main Ukrainian extremist nationalist groups is provided below.

4.1 Ukrainian National Assembly

The Ukrainian National Assembly (UNA), Ukraine's largest ultra-nationalist group, was founded in 1990 (Europa 1998, 3438; Ukrainian TV 24 Feb. 1998, The Ukrainian Weekly 29 Mar. 1998; Nezavisimaya Gazeta 1 Aug. 1996). The UNA is led by Oleh Vitovych (Oleg Vitovich) and Dmytro Korchynsky (Dmitry Korchinsky) and has between 5,000 and 10,000 members (Europa 1998, 3438; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 2; Antisemitism World Report 1996 1996, 253; Nezavisimaya Gazeta 1 Aug. 1996; Ukrainian TV 24 Feb. 1998; see also The Times 19 Aug. 1996). Most of the members are "young people with military backgrounds and histories of arrest and disorderly conduct," according to the UCSJ (July 1998, 2). The paramilitary wing of the UNA is the Ukrainian Self-Defence Organization (UNSO), which reportedly was established during the August 1991 coup in Moscow (Moscow News 11 Sept. 1997).

The UNA claims it is not solely a political party but includes union committees, strike committees, welfare organizations and committees of soldiers' mothers (Ukrainian TV 24 Feb. 1998). While based in Kiev, the organization reportedly has structures in all regions of Ukraine (Europa 1998, 3438; Moscow News 11 Sept. 1997). The Political Handbook of the World: 1997 described the UNA as "an essentially fascist grouping formed initially as a loose alliance of right-wing parties" (1997, 871). According to Antisemitism World Report 1997, in February 1997, the UNA formalized relations with several Russian ultra-nationalist parties, (1997, 2).

Although the UNA reportedly declared in July 1997 that it would adopt a more liberal position, cease military operations abroad and "avoid street actions and confrontations", Antisemitism World Report 1997 stated, "in reality, the UNA's ideology remains based on authoritarian rule, militarism and chauvinism. The dominant factor in its ideology is state authority. Veiled anti-Semitism appears regularly in the party's publications and slogans" (ibid., 3). Although it had three members in the previous parliament, none of UNA's 42 candidates were successful in securing seats in the 29 March 1998 parliamentary election (The New York Times 6 Jan. 1995; Political Handbook of the World: 1997 1997, 871; Government of Ukraine 1998; UNIAN News Agency 9 May 1998; The Ukrainian Weekly 29 Mar. 1998).

4.2 State Independence of Ukraine Party (DSU)

The State Independence of Ukraine Party (DSU), founded in the spring of 1990 and based in Kiev, is led by Roman Koval and Ihor Yukhnovsky (Europa 1998, 3438; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 3; Political Handbook of the World: 1997 1997, 871). According to Antisemitism World Report 1997, the DSU "held a number of demonstrations and organized pickets displaying such slogans as ‘Long live national dictatorship' and ‘Free Passage to Tel Aviv for the Yids'" (1997, 3). The group publishes the Nezborima natsiya (Invincible Nation), with a circulation of 5,000, every three weeks (ibid., 4; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.). In November 1997, the DSU and the Ukrainian Social-National Party (see section 4.3) formed an alliance called "Less Talk" (also called "Fewer Words"), which nominated 44 candidates for the 29 March 1998 parliamentary election (UNIAN News Agency 18 Nov. 1997; Government of Ukraine 1998). It is unclear in the sources consulted whether any of these bids were successful.

4.3 Ukrainian Social-National Party (SNPU)

The Ukrainian Social-National Party (SNPU) was registered as a national party in November 1995 after four years of existence underground (Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 3; Nezavisimaya Gazeta 28 Dec. 1995). It reportedly seeks to gain political power and use that power to create a new society based on Ukrainian national supremacy (Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 3; Nezavisimaya Gazeta 28 Dec. 1995). According to the Kiev-based UNIAN News Agency, the party is led by Yaroslav Andrushkiv and has approximately 3,000 members whose average age is 26 years (17 Nov. 1997, Nezavisimaya Gazeta 28 Dec. 1995; see also Political Handbook of the World: 1997 1997, 872). The group's leaders claim that 80 per cent of its members are students (Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 4). While Antisemitism World Report 1997 stated the SNPU was most active in Galicia, Oleh Tyahnybok (Oleg Tyagnybock), who heads the SNPU's organizational department, claimed in a news conference in November 1997 that most of its support came from the Chernigov, Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa, Khmelnitskiy and Ivano-Frankovsk regions (ibid.; UNIAN News Agency 17 Nov. 1997). According to Antisemitism World Report 1997, the party requires its members to be "pure" Ukrainians, defined as "a group of people unified not only through language, culture, history and economics but also by psychology, mentality and biology" (1997, 3). The SNPU party joined forces with the DSU to contest the 29 March 1998 parliamentary election (Government of Ukraine 1998). Ukraine Today reported that Oleh Tyahnybok had won a seat in the election (2 Apr. 1998).

4.4 Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN)

The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), founded in January 1993 in Lviv, is led by Ivan Kandyba, Volodymyr Shlemko and Mykola Plavyuk, and has an estimated 1,000 members (Political Handbook of the World: 1997 1997, 871; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 3). Its membership, according to Antisemitism World Report 1997, "is restricted to Ukrainians or persons who are half-Ukrainian and half-Slav in origin but who adhere to Ukrainian nationalist ideology" (ibid.). The report added that the OUN sees the enemies of Ukraine to be "Freemasonry, Zionism, internationalism, cosmopolitanism and communism" (ibid.). Concerning Jews, the report stated the OUN "regularly draws attention to the presence of Jews in government bodies, the army, business, education and cultural bodies; it ‘unmasks' crypto-Jews, accusing them of having anti-Ukrainian interests. The UN Declaration of Human Rights, it maintains was devised by Jews in order to destroy the nationhood of individual states" (ibid.). The OUN publishes the monthly Neskorena natsiya (Unconquered Nation) with a circulation of 4,000 (ibid., 4; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.). According to the Political Handbook of the World: 1997, the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists (CUN), led by Slava Stetsko, is the electoral front of the OUN (1997, 871). In 1997, the CUN, together with the Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party (UKRP) (see section 4.5) and the Ukrainian Republican Party (URP),[3]3 led by Levko Lukyanenko, formed the National Front block (Government of Ukraine 1998; see also UNIAN News Agency 27 Oct. 1997; ibid., 4 Apr. 1997). The National Front block nominated 181 candidates, including 14 parliamentary deputies, to contest the 29 March 1998 parliamentary election (Government of Ukraine 1998). Three deputies were reportedly elected to Parliament from the CUN (UNIAN News Agency 9 May 1998; Ukraine Today 2 Apr. 1998).

4.5 Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party (UKRP)

The Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party (UKRP), founded in 1992 and led by Stepan Khmara, is based in Kiev (Political Handbook of the World: 1997 1997, 871-72; The Ukrainian Weekly 30 Mar. 1997; Antisemitism World Report 1996 1996, 253; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 4). According to the Europa World Year Book 1998, the party has 3,000 members (1998, 3438). The UKRP opposes any reduction in Ukraine's armed forces, claiming that Russian and western "pro-Zionist imperialism" are a threat to national security, according to Antisemitism World Report 1997 (1997, 4). Part of the National Front block, the UKRP did not win any seats in the March 1998 election (Government of Ukraine 1998; Ukraine Today 2 Apr. 1998).

4.6 Nationalist Fascist Party (NFP)

The Lviv-based Nationalist Fascist Party (NFP), led by Fedor Zaviryukha, was founded in December 1993 (Europa 1998, 3438; Nezavisimaya Gazeta 28 Dec. 1993; Political Handbook of the World: 1997 1997, 872). It advocates Ukrainian national supremacy and the extension of Ukraine's borders by "winning back part of the present territories of Russia, Belarus, Poland and the Baltic States" (Nezavisimaya Gazeta 28 Dec. 1993; see also Europa 1998, 3438; Political Handbook of the World: 1997 1997, 872).

4.7 Organization of Ukrainian Idealists (OUI)

The Organization of Ukrainian Idealists (OUI), according to a report in the Lviv-based Za Vilnu Ukrayinu,[4]4 was registered in Lviv on 10 February 1994 and is led by Mykhaylo Mankovskyy (17 Feb. 1994). The report stated that the OUI "leads an active and decisive struggle against the domination of the colonial communist freemasonry and mafia nomenklatura, is in favour of building a Ukrainian national Christian state and unites and protects Christians of all denominations" (ibid.). The OUI publishes the small-circulation Idealist and, according to Antisemitism World Report 1997, organized rallies and demonstrations, primarily in Lviv in 1996 (1997, 3). More current information was not available at the time of publication in the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

5. VIOLENCE AGAINST THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

During the period under review, six incidents of violence against the Jewish community, including one physical attack against an individual Jew in Ukraine were reported in the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. The sources provided no conclusive information on the perpetrators.

The NCSJ reported that, in March 1997, the Israeli Cultural Center in Kharkiv was firebombed two weeks after it had opened (9 Feb. 1998, n.p.). According to the source, although an investigation revealed that two bottles of explosives caused the fire, the culprits were not found and no Ukrainian newspaper reported the incident (ibid.). According to Country Reports 1997 "an Arab organization claimed responsibility" (1998, 1372). Further information on this incident could not be found in the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

According to Antisemitism World Report 1997, some gravestones in the Jewish cemetery of Berdichov were vandalized in April and May 1997 (1997, 4). The organizations added that it was not clear whether these were acts of anti-Semitism or hooliganism (ibid.).

In July 1997, a Jewish cemetery in the western city of Khost (Hust) was desecrated; 58 gravestones were overturned and 18 destroyed (NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; UCSJ July 1998, 3; Forward 29 Aug. 1997). The police and the Ukrainian Security Services reportedly launched an investigation and the municipality said it would restore misplaced headstones, but it was not clear whether damaged gravestones would be repaired (NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; UCSJ July 1998, 3). Further information on the results of the investigation could not be obtained from the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

The UCSJ and Antisemitism World Report 1997 reported a break-in at the United Jewish Community of Crimea building on 20 September 1997, but stated that it was unclear whether anti-Semitism motivated the act (Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 4; UCSJ July 1998, 2).

The UCSJ reported a fire in a synagogue in the town of Drohovich, just before the March 1998 election (ibid.). This synagogue had been vandalized on four earlier occasions, including two instances in 1997 (ibid.).

Finally, there were news reports of a fire on the night of 31 August 1998 at the Central Choral Synagogue in Kharkiv which caused no casualties but resulted in $1 million in damage to the building (ITAR-TASS 1 Sept. 1998; Jewish Telegraphic Agency 31 Aug. 1998; AP 31 Aug. 1998). While police could not confirm the cause of the fire, Ukrainian-Jewish leaders alleged it was an anti-Semitic arson attack (Jewish Telegraphic Agency 31 Aug. 1998; AP 31 Aug. 1998).

6. STATE PROTECTION

Several laws guarantee protection of the rights of minorities in Ukraine. These include the October 1989 Law on Languages, the October 1991 Law on Ukrainian Citizenship, the 1991 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religion, the June 1992 Law on National Minorities, as well as the Constitution of Ukraine, adopted on 28 June 1996 (Europa 1998, 3435; Political Handbook of the World: 1997 1997, 871; Flanz Jan. 1997, 11-18; World Directory of Minorities 1997, 318; Country Reports 1997 1998, 1368; see also Jaworsky 1998, 116; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 2).[5]5 Article 35 of the constitution guarantees the right to freedom of religion and, although Ukrainian is the official state language, Article 53 of the constitution ensures minorities "the right to receive instruction in their native language, or to study their native language in state and communal educational establishments and through national cultural societies" (Flanz Jan. 1997, 16, 24).

Several sources indicate that these rights are generally respected in Ukraine (Country Reports 1997 1998, 1372; Antisemitism World Report 1997 1997, 2; Jaworsky 1998, 115). According to Antisemitism World Report 1997, since independence, "Ukraine has been a democratic state in which the rights of the Jewish minority have been fully respected" (1997, 2). In a 1997 report, the UCSJ noted "progress [has been made] toward developing a democratic country based on rule of law," through the development of a stronger parliament and a constitution which provides human rights safeguards "and establishes the principle of judicial review, strengthening the court system" (May 1997, 137). However, several sources also indicate that the enforcement of laws protecting minorities in Ukraine is a problem due to the lack of an effective legal system (Country Reports 1997 1998, 1370; Embassy of Ukraine to the USA 15 Jan. 1998, 2; Jaworsky 1998, 124; Terlitsky 3 Dec. 1998). For example, despite having warned some publications against fueling ethnic tension and having applied to the Prosecutor's Office to investigate these publications, the Government of Ukraine has reportedly failed to adequately enforce laws against the distribution of anti-Semitic material (Country Reports 1997 1998, 1365, 1370; NCSJ 9 Feb. 1998, n.p; AUJC Aug. 1998). Two sources stated Jews could have no recourse for protection from anti-Semitic actions because of the weak application of laws regarding the protection of minorities and inconsistent government efforts to control anti-Semitic activities at the local level (Terlitsky 3 Dec. 1998; UCSJ May 1997, 138). Professor Jaworsky suggested it might be easier for Jews and non-Jews to get legal redress in Kiev than in provincial towns and cities (29 Oct. 1998).

While Terlitsky and the UCSJ stated Jews could experience religious "persecution" (3 Dec. 1998; UCSJ May 1997, 138), several sources interviewed by the Research Directorate in late October 1998 declared they did not believe Jews in Ukraine were "persecuted" on religious or ethnic grounds (Magocsi 27 Oct. 1998; Kuropas 28 Oct. 1998; Jaworsky 29 Oct. 1998; Duwalko 21 Oct. 1998). Moreover, viewed in the context of rampant corruption, violence and criminality, particularly in urban areas in Ukraine, Jews, according to several sources, are no less safe than the rest of the Ukrainian population (ibid.; Kuropas 28 Oct. 1998; Magocsi 27 Oct. 1998). Eugen Duwalko, Executive Director of the Toronto-based Canadian-Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society, stated that local extortion rackets or gangs target business people who have a "perceived access to wealth," regardless of their ethnic or religious background (21 Oct. 1998). According to official figures quoted in a recent Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty news report, the Ukrainian police have rooted out almost 3,000 criminal gangs responsible for some 21,700 crimes in Ukraine in the past three years (RFE/RL Newsline 23 Nov. 1998). Country Reports 1997 indicated that during 1997, "Politicians and politically-connected businessmen continued to be the victims—whether through killing or kidnapping—of organized criminal groups, aided in a few cases, either actively or passively, by corrupt officials" (1998, 1361). According to Duwalko, many business people believe these gangs are connected to political officials at all levels (21 Oct. 1998). On 20 November 1998, President Kuchma reportedly criticized the police and the court system for not combating crime effectively (RFE/RL Newsline 23 Nov. 1998). He attributed this to inexperience and low moral standards among police officers and to inconsistent legal norms (ibid.).

A 1992 decree provides for the restitution of properties which belonged to religious communities and which had been seized during Soviet rule (Country Reports 1997 1998, 1369; Embassy of Ukraine to the USA 15 Jan. 1998, 2; Forward 7 Feb. 1997). According to Country Reports 1997, although the decree's implementation remained "stalled in many places" at the end of 1997, Jewish groups in 33 towns and cities had "negotiated successfully with local authorities for worship space" (1998, 1369). An NCSJ report indicated that, of the approximately 2,000 Jewish community properties that had been confiscated during Soviet rule[6]6 the government had thus far returned 30 synagogue buildings to the community (9 Feb. 1998, n.p.; see also UCSJ May 1997, 128). The NCSJ report added that many local officials were reluctant to return such properties because of the difficulty in removing current occupants, and also because officials feared being perceived as favouring Jews (9 Feb. 1998, n.p.). According to the chief rabbi of Kiev, Yaakov Bleich, while the restitution of Jewish property is national policy, "everything depends on local politics" (Forward 7 Feb. 1997). In 1997, Zissels had expressed concern about the possibility of anti-Semitic propaganda increasing in the press in response to further attempts by Jews to recover property (UCSJ May 1997, 130; Forward 7 Feb. 1997).

The Ukrainian-US Commission was established in part, to monitor the implementation of the March 1994 Ukrainian-US Agreement on the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage (Embassy of Ukraine to the USA 15 Jan. 1998, 2; UCSJ News 15 July 1998, 1). During the commission's first meeting in May 1997, it addressed the issue of the preservation of Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine (Embassy of Ukraine to the USA 15 Jan. 1998, 2; UCSJ News 15 July 1998, 1). In January 1998, the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States stated that the local regional administrations of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Zitomir, Lviv, and Cherkassy, among others, were actively involved in the restoration of Jewish cemeteries and memorials "despite significant economic difficulties" (Embassy of Ukraine to the USA 15 Jan. 1998, 2). The UCSJ reported a landmark ruling on 29 June 1998, permitting the Jewish community in the southwestern Ivano-Frankivsk region to fence the Jewish cemetery in Nadvornaya in accordance with its historic boundaries (UCSJ News 15 July 1998, 1). Approximately 16,000 Jews are reportedly buried there, including 6,000 in a mass grave (ibid.). The case was brought forward by the UCSJ Ukrainian-American Human Rights Bureau, whose director, Meylakh Sheykhet, called the ruling "the first positive decision in Ukraine for the preservation of Jewish cemeteries" (ibid.).

7. IMPACT OF THE 29 MARCH 1998 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION

An estimated 70 per cent of the population cast ballots in a nation-wide parliamentary election held on 29 March 1998, during which 30 parties and over 6,000 candidates contested a total of 450 seats (Transitions May 1998, 54-55; UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998).[7]7 The Communist Party won the largest number of votes, gaining 84 of the proportional seats and 37 of the single seats (UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998; UNIAN News Agency 9 May 1998; Transitions May 1998, 55; see also Libération 31 Mar. 1998, 10). The party's leftist allies — the Socialist/Peasant bloc, Hromada, the Progressive Socialist Party, and the Social Democratic Party-United — won a total of 34, 23, 16 and 16 seats respectively (Transitions May 1998, 55; see also UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998). The centrist Rukh Party won 46 seats, while the Green Party and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) respectively won 19 and 28 seats (Transitions May 1998, 55; see also UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998). Independent candidates, with undeclared party affiliations, won 136 of the single-seat constituencies (UNIAN News Agency 9 May 1998). Several ultra-nationalist groups nominated party candidates for the election; two of the three parties that had formed the National Front block won a total of five seats and captured 2.7 per cent of the votes (Government of Ukraine 1998; UNIAN News Agency 9 May 1998; Elections in Ukraine 25 Oct. 1998, 2).

The OSCE reported a pre-election campaign "marred by incidents of violence, arrests and actions against candidates and abuse of public office" (UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998; CNN 30 Mar. 1998; see also Transitions May 1998, 55; Le Monde diplomatique May 1998, 4; Le Monde 1 Apr. 1998).

Local election observers, according to the UCSJ, indicated some incidents of anti-Semitism during the election campaign (25 Apr. 1998). For example, in the central city of Vinnitsa, the PDP, led by former Prime Minister Paval Lazarenk (Pavlo Lazarenko), reportedly distributed leaflets appealing to the electorate to block the rise of "Judeo-Masons" to power (ibid.; Jewish Telegraphic Agency 22 Mar. 1998; Transitions May 1998, 57). On the eve of the election, the Jewish mayor of Vinnitsa, Dmitri Dvorkis, reportedly sent a letter to President Kuchma seeking his intervention to put an end to anti-Semitic rhetoric affecting him and other Jewish candidates (UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998; Jewish Telegraphic Agency 22 Mar. 1998). Sources provided no information on the President's response to the letter. According to the NCSJ, "anti-Semitism is often prevalent during election campaigns in Ukraine, particularly anti-Semitic graffiti and rhetoric fostered by ultra-nationalist extremists" (9 Feb. 1998, n.p.).

Many groups, including several right and left wing groups, alleged the election was fraudulent; the results of at least 30 seats were disputed and the Central Election Committee received thousands of letters alleging that ballots had been held back or changed (Transitions May 1998, 60; AFP 1 Apr. 1998; see also UNIAN News Agency 6 Apr. 1998). However, international election observers, including the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), deemed it generally free and fair (AFP 1 Apr. 1998; CNN 30 Mar. 1998; UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998; see also Transitions May 1998, 55).

Jews, representing a variety of parties, reportedly won 20 parliamentary seats, five times the number of seats held by Jews prior to this election (Jewish Telegraphic Agency 7 Apr. 1998; ibid., 25 Mar. 1998; see also UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998).[8]8

Jews in Ukraine reportedly viewed the results of the election calmly, concerned primarily with the country's economic stagnation, expected to continue through 1998 (UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998; Jewish Telegraphic Agency 7 Apr. 1998; see also Libération 31 Mar. 1998, 10). According to Zissels, the limited number of pro-reform politicians in the new parliament could impede economic reforms (UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998; Jewish Telegraphic Agency 7 Apr. 1998).

NOTES ON SELECTED SOURCES

Eugen Duwalko

Eugen Duwalko has been executive director of the Toronto-based Canadian-Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society (CUIAS) for the past nine years. Founded in 1977, the CUIAS is a community-based charitable organization that assists Ukrainians in immigrating to, and settling in, Canada. It works closely with grassroots organizations, agencies, private companies and individuals in Ukraine. It publishes the biannual CUIAS Newsletter.

John Jaworsky

John Jaworsky is assistant professor of political science at Waterloo University. He has done extensive research and published articles on human rights and ethnic/nationality issues in Ukraine and the region. He is an active member of the Ottawa-based Forum for Eastern Europe. He travels to Ukraine regularly.

Myron B. Kuropas

Myron B. Kuropas is an adjunct professor in the Department of Education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois . He is the author of several works on Ukraine, including The Ukrainian Americans: Roots and Aspirations, 1884-1954; Ukrainian Citadel: The First Hundred Years of the Ukrainian National Association; and Scourging of a Nation: CBS and the Defamation of Ukraine. The latter was published in 1995 in response to the 23 October 1994 CBS TV 60 Minutes broadcast: "The Ugly Face of Freedom." Professor Kuropas also has a bi-weekly column in The Ukrainian Weekly based in Parsippany, New Jersey. He spent two weeks in Ukraine in the summer of 1998 teaching at Ostroh Academy near Rivni.

Paul Robert Magocsi

Paul Robert Magocsi is a professor from the Chair of Ukrainian Studies, University of Toronto. He is the author of numerous books on the history of Ukraine and Eastern Europe, including his most recent, A History of Ukraine, published in 1996. He visited Ukraine in September 1998.

Leonard Terlitsky

Leonard Terlitsky is the representative in the Former Soviet Union of the New York-based Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). Founded 120 years ago, HIAS is a non-profit organization specializing in Jewish immigration issues. Based in Moscow, Terlitsky travels regularly to Ukraine and other countries of the Former Soviet Union.

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[1]1.           According to the NCSJ, over half of all Jews in Ukraine are elderly, many of whom are in need of assistance, such as food, medicine and home care (9 Feb. 1998, n.p.).

[2]2.           This is reportedly the first Jewish university in Ukraine (UCSJ May 1997, 125) and the only Jewish University in Eastern Europe (AUJC July 1998). Approximately 200 students became the university's first graduates on 9 July 1998 (ibid.).

[3]3.           The Political Handbook of the World: 1997 lists the URP as a moderate nationalist party (1997, 872). Two members of the URP were elected to Parliament in the 29 March 1998 election (UNIAN News Agency 9 May 1998; Ukraine Today 2 Apr. 1998).

[4]4.           In its audit of Ukrainian newspapers for 1996, the Kiev Center for Political Research found that the Lviv-based Za Vilnu Ukrayinu (For a Free Ukraine), with a reported circulation of 135,000 (Jewish Telegraphic Agency 5 June 1997; Antisemitism World Report 1996 1996, 255), had published the largest number (124) of anti-Semitic articles in 1996 (Jewish Telegraphic Agency 5 June 1997). More current information was not available in the sources consulted by the Research Directorate at the time of publication.

[5]5.           For information on minority rights legislation adopted prior to September 1993, please refer to the September 1993 Research Directorate Question and Answer Series paper Ukraine: The Situation of Ethnic Minorities.

[6]6.           The UCSJ explained that these 2000 communal properties include synagogues, cemeteries, schools and hospitals in over 30 urban areas (May 1997, 128). The Ukraine Committee on the Preservation of Jewish Heritage gathered archival documentation to show the location of over 700 historical cemeteries in Ukraine and to prove ownership of them (ibid.). As privatization increases, land used for historical cemeteries is being turned over by the government for commercial development (ibid.).

[7]7.           Ukraine has a mixed electoral system: of the 450 seats, 225 are "proportional seats" i.e. reserved for candidates of parties which receive at least 4~per~cent of the votes (UCSJ~25~Apr. 1998; Transitions May 1998, 59; Political Handbook of the World: 1997; 870). The other half of the seats are "single seats", for independent candidates (ibid.; UCSJ 25 Apr. 1998; Transitions May 1998, 59).

 

[8]8.           Among the Jewish members of Parliament are Ukraine's former prime minister, Yefim Zvyagilsky, as well as Grigory Surkis, chairman of the All-Ukrainian Jewish Congress (Jewish Telegraphic Agency 24 Dec. 1997; ibid., 7 Apr. 1998).