|
World Jewish News
Israeli Ambassador to Kiev Speaks On Risks of Persecution; Colleagues Disagree
17.03.2009
The Israeli ambassador to Ukraine is confident that local Jews face a real risk of persecution and even physical violence. Her colleagues, diplomats in Jerusalem, and the JAFI staff believe she is dramatizing the situation.
According to the Israeli ambassador in Kiev Zina Kalay-Kleitman, the local Jews face the threat of persecution, and even physical violence, as a result of the severe economic and political crisis in Ukraine. This she said in the secret report, received by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on March 3. As Kalay-Kleitman mentions, in Ukraine there is a strong likelihood of "outbreaks of street violence," the victims of which may become the Jewish community representatives. "The escalation of anti-Semitic manifestations is to be expected," warns the Ambassador. "The Jews may be declared guilty of the grave situation in the country."
On the basis of this report, on March 8 in the central office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem a special meeting was held with participation of diplomats, staff of other government institutions, and dignitaries of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Among them there were: the Head of the department "Eurasia-1" Gary Koren, in charge of ties with countries in the European part of CIS; Aviva Raz-Shekhter, leading the division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on combating anti-Semitism; Ami Mel - a former ambassador in Tashkent, now the head of the foreign ministry department on diaspora issues; Alex Katz, who supervises the FSU republics within the JAFI framework.
The meeting participants agreed that the Ambassador in Kiev clearly "overcolours and dramatizes the situation." In doing so, they agreed that "one should keep one’s finger on the pulse."
Competent sources in JAFI told the IzRus portal: «We do not rule out that someone could declare the Jews guilty of the crisis, but if it happens, it will be only an element of the overall destabilization, rather than as result of massive and sustained manifestation of anti-Semitism». According to the interlocutor of the IzRus portal, at the meeting on March 8, the recent JAFI data were presented on the readiness for repatriation of the citizens of Ukraine who have the right on return. «Compared to the same period last year, no significant change is observed. Yes, people are more interested in the possibility of repatriation. But so far, it has had no practical consequences- the flow of aliyah from Ukraine has not increased,” said the same source. He added that the JAFI is monitoring the situation very closely, almost every week analyzing the data coming from the field, "but we see no cause for hysteria so far."
However, there is another, very unusual phenomenon. "If up to this point the prominent figures of the Chabad movement spoke in favor of maintaining and strengthening the local Jewish community, which is clearly contrary to the goals of Zionism, now the situation has changed because of the crisis," said another JAFI employee to the IzRus portal. "Donations of big businessmen for the community needs have sharply reduced, as well as contributions from international Jewish organizations. As a result, Chabad is no more able to maintain a sophisticated structure on assisting the elderly, the sick, the poor, which are also becoming more numerous. The same applies to the various religious and educational projects. The crisis has significantly affected even the most affluent and influential community in Ukraine - in Dnepropetrovsk, led by the famous Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, who is known for extensive contacts with big businessmen of Jewish descent. They used to allocate millions of dollars a year for community needs, but now their own state has declined by an average of 60-80%. As a result, prominent figures Chabad suddenly started saying that on the background of the crisis, the Jews should probably leave for Israel. While not acknowledging this, they, of course, primarily have in mind the weaker representatives of the community; let the oligarchs stay so far..."
By the way, in the evening the same day, when the Foreign Ministry held a meeting on the situation in Ukraine, the leader of "Our Home Israel" Avigdor Lieberman, giving interview to the portal IzRus, said: "The world economic crisis creates unique conditions for increasing the pace of repatriation. In a number of countries that is contributed by the political turmoil caused by the deteriorating economic situation. So, we should comprehensively address the issues of repatriation from Ukraine: many people who are subject to the Law on Return, are now unemployed, without prospects for the future, and seriously thinking about moving to Israel."
In Ukraine, according to estimates, live about 150-200 thousand Hallahian Jews and about 400 thousand fall under the Israeli Law on Return.
|
|
