Ukrainian Jews against Vyatrovich: Poroshenko is demanded to stop praising anti-Semites from the OUN-UPA

Leaders of 29 communities and public Jewish organizations addressed the country's public with an open letter regarding the situation with the glorification of the UPA and the question of the anti-Semitic nature of this movement.

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“We want to express serious concern and express distrust of the persistent attempts to distort our common history, which have recently been undertaken by activists under the auspices of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINR). This applies, in particular, to the irresponsible actions of the UINP and its leadership, which, with the help of other bodies and organizations, a number of media, scientific institutions, are trying to erase from our common history the tragic pages associated with the anti-Semitic activities of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its leaders,” the appeal says.

“The anti-Semitic nature of these activities contributed to the death of thousands of Ukrainian Jews and is a proven historical fact, confirmed by thousands of testimonies, documents, and studies. And we, Ukrainian Jews, as a people who suffered, including from the activities of the OUN and UPA, also know these facts well. We believe that attempts to rewrite history, silence and denial of the anti-Semitic ideology and practice of these organizations are nothing more than an insult to the memory of more than one million Jews exterminated in Ukraine by the Nazis and local collaborators, and, moreover, a denial of the Holocaust. This also applies to the renaming of streets after people who cause shudder not only among Jews, but also among many other peoples of the world. We consider the decision of the Kyiv City Council to rename one of the avenues after Stepan Bander and the existing plan to rename one of the streets after Roman Shukhevych inappropriate,” the statement says.

“We appeal to the Verkhovna Rada, the Kyiv City Council, governmental, national and international institutions with a request to help maintain interethnic peace in Ukraine. We all have big plans ahead to build a new, European country. Implementing such plans will require focused, collaborative efforts. To do this, each and every one of us must be sure that he is a respected and full-fledged citizen of his country,” write the leaders of communities and public Jewish organizations.

“It is also concerning that Ukraine, despite numerous invitations from member states and public appeals, still refuses to become a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and remains one of the few countries in Europe that has not joined the Alliance.

We love and appreciate our Ukraine, independent and indivisible! We appeal to the Verkhovna Rada, the Kyiv City Council, governmental, national and international institutions with a request to promote interethnic peace in Ukraine. We all have big plans ahead to build a new, European country. Implementing such plans will require focused, collaborative efforts. To do this, each and every one of us must be sure that he is a respected and full-fledged citizen of his country,” the authors conclude.

The appeal was signed on behalf of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine by Boris Fuksman, on behalf of the Jewish Forum of Ukraine by Arkady Monastyrsky, on behalf of the Jewish Religious Community of Kyiv by Alexander Levin, on behalf of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee by Alexander Feldman and others.