| A Brief Visit
To Jewish Communities In Ukraine October 30 to November 8, 2002 |
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Long under the domination of Russia, earlier as
part of the Russian empire and more recently as a republic of the
Soviet Union, Ukraine declared independence in 1991 as the Soviet
Union collapsed. Five cities in Ukraine boast populations of one million or more: Kyiv, the capital, approximately 2.6 million; Kharkiv, 1.5 million; Dnipropetrovsk, 1.1 million; and Donetsk and Odesa, each 1 million. Zaporizhya is just behind the leaders, home to about 875,000. Melitopol, located to the south of Zaporizhya, is far smaller, with a population of approximately 170,000. Until recently, post-Soviet Ukraine has enjoyed a relatively high rate of economic growth. However, economic growth rates have slipped during the past year, evidence of the reality that such growth has been based on the strengthening of existing capacity rather than the creation of new economic assets. Investment in new technology and industry is negligible, reflecting, in part, reluctance of business to advance capital in a country with an immature legal system, pervasive corruption, a retreat from full freedom of expression, and an oligarchic government in ongoing crisis. Widespread economic hardship, chronic abuse of the Presidential office, vote-rigging, and increasing press censorship led to mass rallies against President Leonid Kuchma in Kyiv on September 16, 2002, a date chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the disappearance of opposition journalist Hryhoriy Gongadze two years previously. Mr. Gongadze’s headless corpse was found two months after his disappearance in a field west of Kyiv. He was one of at least eight Ukrainian journalists to have died under mysterious circumstances since Ukrainian independence. The most recent, Mykhailo Kolomiyets, was found dead in Belarus in November 2002. Audio tapes allegedly recorded in Mr. Kuchma’s office strongly suggest Presidential involvement in the silencing of Mr. Gongadze. The same series of tapes also disclosed Presidential approval of the clandestine sale and shipment of Ukrainian-manufactured radar equipment to Iraq through a Jordanian inter-mediary. |
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| The $100 million sale of the Kolchuga radar system to Iraq, in flagrant disregard of United Nations sanctions against that country, has led to a severe crisis of confidence between Ukraine and the United States and its allies. A mobile and compact Soviet-designed system capable of detecting objects that omit radar signals while remaining invisible itself, the Kolchuga radar would complicate American military strikes against Iraq. The United States suspended U.S. government aid to Ukraine in September 2002, withholding $55 million. On November 16, Mr. Kuchma dismissed his entire cabinet, including Prime Minister Anatoliy Kinakh. Appointed as new Prime Minister was Viktor Yanukovych, a Soviet-style regional boss from the eastern industrial city of Donetsk, a conservative stronghold of tumultuous politics and business. Mr. Yanukovych’s ascension to power is perceived to further impede necessary government reforms and to exacerbate existing political tensions. He is the seventh Ukrainian Prime Minister in eight years. Western displeasure with Mr. Kuchma was nowhere more evident than at a NATO conference in Prague on November 21-22, 2002. Informed that his presence would be undesirable, Mr. Kuchma appeared anyway, forcing NATO into an awkward situation that humiliated the Ukrainian leader and made headlines around the world. Reluctant to utilize the traditional alphabetical seating plan that would have placed the leader of Ukraine next to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom and just one seat away from President George Bush of the United States, NATO staff employed French, its second official language, for the first time in NATO history, thus placing Ukraine at the end of the row, with only “Turquie” as its neighbor. Notwithstanding his current difficulties, Mr. Kuchma is expected to remain in office until his term expires in 2004. The two most prominent rabbis in the country, Chief Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich of Kyiv and Chabad Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki of Dnipropetrovsk, both enjoy good relations with Mr. Kuchma. The Ukrainian Jewish population, believed to number between 225,000 and 275,000, is concentrated in large cities. Perhaps 70,000 to 100,000 reside in Kyiv, 30,000 to 35,000 in Dnipropetrovsk, 30,000 in Kharkiv, 28,000 in Odesa, and 10,000 to 15,000 each in Donetsk, Krivyy Rih (Krivoi Rog), and Simferopol. The Jewish population is aging, its average age close to 60. The death to birth ratio is far worse than the 2:1 rate for the country as a whole; among Jews, the ratio is believed to be between 10:1 and 13:1. Younger Jews continue to flee small Jewish population centers, many emigrating to Israel or to Germany, some resettling in larger Ukrainian cities. Antisemitism appears to be increasing
in Ukraine, although the incidence and severity of anti-Jewish attacks
is lower than in neighboring Russia. Until recently, anti-Jewish
bigotry seemed to be confined to street incidents and commentary
in crude small-circulation periodicals and in broadsheets. However,
recent months have seen the emergence of antisemitism in mainstream
publications and in a slick Dnipropetrovsk 1. Vyecheslav “Slavik” Brez is the Executive Director (Исполнительный директор) of the Philanthropic Fund of the Dnipropetrovsk Jewish Com-munity (Благотворительный фонд Днепропетровского еврейского общины), the most advanced Jewish community philanthropic organization in all of the post-Soviet successor states. A native of Dnipropetrovsk, he resides in the city with his wife and two small children. Mr. Brez estimates the Jewish population of the city to be between 30,000 and 40,000. Perhaps as many as 50,000 Jews live in the Dnipropetrovsk region as a whole, he said. Mr. Brez noted that the Philanthropic Fund raised $600,000 during the 2001-2002 fiscal year, 3 an amount insufficient to cover new projects under development in the Jewish community. The most pressing problem, he continued, is a $400,000 deficit incurred in construction of the Beit Baruch Assisted Living Facility (see below) when several prospective donors failed to honor significant pledges to the project. Considerable funds must be expended in servicing this debt.4 On the bright side, however, the Philanthropic Fund continues to attract new donors, including two successful local businessmen under 30 years of age.5 In other matters related to the Philanthropic Fund itself, Mr. Brez noted that the Board of the Fund has established a committee to create new approaches to increase support of Israel in its current situation. This committee will address its energies to both the local Jewish population and to the community at large, including meetings with local journalists. The committee might even sponsor trips to Israel for both print and television journalists. Mr. Brez expressed distress at an increase in antisemitism, both locally and nationally. He noted that the stature of Bogdan Khmelnytsky as a historical figure has been elevated in recent months, without any consideration accorded to his role in 17th century pogroms. 6 The Jewish community, said Mr. Brez, must educate Ukrainians about the Cossack leader’s murderous actions against Jews. |
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Sharing
a long northern and eastern border with Russia, Ukraine’s
other neighbors are Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania,
and Moldova. It has a long coast line upon the Black Sea. The territorial
area covered by Ukraine approximates that of France. In the 11 years
of its indepen-dence, Ukraine’s population has de-creased
from ap-proximately 53 mil-lion in 1991 to just over 48 million
in late 2002.
management
monthly, Personal. Obser-vers attribute the rise in such bigotry
to Ukrainian and Russian nationalism, skinhead and soccer hooliganism,
‘imported’ antisem-itism from Russia, activity of Arab
students at Ukrainian universities and other institutions, and anti-government
sentiment. Regarding the latter, several prominent supporters of
increasingly discredited President Leonid Kuchma are Ukrainian Jewish
oligarchs.
