EJC head Kantor refuses to accept posthumous Hero of Ukraine award for Soviet Jewish commander who liberated Auschwitz concentration camp
The head of the European Jewish Congress refused to accept a posthumous Hero of Ukraine award last week on behalf of a Soviet Jewish commander who liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp, citing growing anti-Semitism and neo-Nazi activity in Ukraine.
President Viktor Yushchenko expected EJC President Moshe Kantor to accept the award on behalf of Major Anatoliy Shapiro in Kyiv on Oct. 17.
But a day earlier, Kantor announced that he would not make the trip.
“It is no secret that the level of anti-Semitism in Ukraine is on the rise and is becoming more dangerous every day,” Kantor wrote in a letter to EJC members.
Most recently, rabbis were attacked in Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Sevastopol and Uzhgorod between Sept. 27 and Oct. 5, with one home being burned down.
The Jewish Telegraph Agency confirmed the reports and added that three incidents of attacks and vandalism took place in July and August.
“Zhytomyr, in particular, has been the site of ongoing attacks on Jews,” said the Oct. 18 JTA report.
In his letter, Kantor wrote that “a neo-Nazi parade took place in Kyiv,” an apparent reference to an Oct. 14 memorial service held for Ukrainian Insurgent Army veterans (UPA) on St. Sophia’s Square in the capital.
A Ukrainian governmental commission that investigated from 1997-2004 the UPA’s wartime record, wrote in its official conclusion that the greatest enemy to Nazi rule in Ukraine was Ukrainian nationalists, not Soviet partisans.
The EJC did not respond to the Post’s questions concerning the alleged neo-Nazi parade.
Paid-for parades
The Stolychni Novosti weekly, widely considered to be part of the media holdings of All-Ukrainian Jewish Congress President Vadym Rabynovych, printed four pages of photographs of a handful of individuals wearing masks making raised right-handed Nazi salutes in its Oct. 16 issue.
“On Sunday, Oct. 14, in the center of Kyiv, a manifestation was held on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the creation of the UPA,” wrote Rabynovych in a letter published in the newspaper that was signed by Jewish leaders Yan Tabachnyk of the Party of Regions and Oleksandr Feldman of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc.
“In reality, the event had all the characteristics of a pro-fascist rally. Demonstrators chanted Nazi slogans, exchanged Nazi greetings and carried stylized symbols from fascist times,” the letter stated.
Viktor Roh, a member the UPA commemoration organizing committee, said the 10 Nazi-saluting youths in masks were unwelcome at the outdoor event.
“These are the same idiots who always show up at our rallies to pose for the cameras,” Roh said. “They are clearly unwanted guests. Their task was to raise the salutes when the cameras were pointed at them.” Roh said he recognized the faces in photos published in the popular daily newspaper Segodnya. “Neo-Nazis in Ukraine do not exist the way they do in Russia. These are paid-for agents of provocation,” he said.
Shukhevych for Shapiro
Kantor’s other reason for not accepting the Hero of Ukraine award for Shapiro was Yushchenko’s presentation of the same award days earlier to UPA commander in chief Roman Shukhevych. Kantor referred to Shukhevych as a “Nazi collaborator,” despite Shukhevych having spent most of the war years fighting against both the Nazis and Soviets as UPA commander in chief.
Shukhevych received military training from Polish and German commanders all the while being a member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, a revolutionary underground organization that pursued Ukraine’s independence. Five years after the war ended in Europe, Shukhevych died fighting Soviet troops in the Lviv region. The UPA never fully recovered from the loss of their leader.
“UPA and Shukhevych did their part to defeat fascism, if you mean the ideology espoused by Hitler and Nazi Germany,” Roh said.
Kyiv Chief Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich said that anti-Semitism is a problem in the entire geographical region and that Ukraine is no exception.
“The [award] issue is not about anti-Semitism,” said Bleich, who helped draft the letter. “It is about nationalist groups that fought alongside the Nazis. I strongly support granting [Ukrainian Greek Catholic] Cardinal Sheptytskiy the Righteous Gentile award,” he said.
“That is not a political issue and politics are not important. If a person puts his life in danger to save others, then he is worthy of the award.”
“I am not one of those extremists who are against the UPA. I am against condoning and glorifying Nazis.”
When asked if Shapiro would accept the award soon, Bleich said, “Not yet.”
