Remembering 1905 in Ukraine. My grandparents left Ukraine in 1905 along with thousands of other Jews. Their destination was America. Some settled in the United States and some in Canada. “Fiddler on the Roof” ends in 1905 with the citizens of Anatevka leaving for America. Pogroms were the primary motivator.
The term “pogrom” in the meaning of large-scale, targeted, and repeated anti-Jewish rioting, saw its first use in the 19th century, in reference to the anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire. Pogroms began occurring after the Russian Empire, which previously had very few Jews, acquired territories with large Jewish populations during 1791-1835. These territories were designated “the Pale of Settlement” by the Russian government, within which Jews were reluctantly permitted to live, and it was within them that the progroms largely took place. Most Jews were forbidden from moving to other parts of the Empire, unless they converted to Christian Orthodox.
It now appears that things have not changed in Ukraine.
Jews in East Ukraine Are Being Threatened, But By Whom?
The grand rabbi of Donetsk talks to The Daily Beast about fliers ordering Jews to register or be deported from the pro-Russian “republic” proclaimed there.
According to Rabbi Vyshedski, the press secretary of the self-proclaimed republic, Aleksander Kriakov, is “the most famous anti-Semite in the region.” Schneerson wondered how separatists who are trying to position themselves as “anti-fascist” and claiming it’s Kiev that’s run by neo-Nazis could pick Kriakov as their spokesman.
The sense of insecurity is heightened by the uncertainty and a feeling of abandonment. “I want to know why in two days of these threats, the Jewish community has not heard a single comment from either Donetsk—or from the Kiev authorities,” said the rabbi. “Last time Donetsk saw similar messages was in 1941, when the Nazi German army occupied Donetsk. It is so painful for us to see that some cynical politicians dare to use us as an instrument in their political games.” The rabbi said he is still hoping authorities will find the guilty ones and punish them.
But the problem is, precisely, that there are no authorities who really control the situation in Donetsk Oblast just now.On Wednesday afternoon a group of 100 pro-Russian protesters arrived at Prokofiev International Airport in Donetsk. The visitors brought flags from the Russian Federation and Donetsk Republic flags and banners “to demonstrate who has power in this region.” In Sloviansk, where protesters had barricaded the entire town last week, pro-Russian militia or “green men” took over the television tower; from now on there will be no Ukrainian channels working, only Russian, the Medianyanya Internet news website reported.This afternoon I went to see who was collecting the “Jewish fee” in room 514 at the seized administration. The office was empty.
“Nobody is going to charge Jews for living in our republic,” said Dmitry Sinegorsky, the “security supervisor” on the 5 floor who showed me the room. Sinegorsky said he would personally “put needles under Pushilin’s nails” to find out whose idea that was to discredit the pro- Russian movement, but he believed it also could have been a “pure provocation.”
“See, until today, there were all sorts of thugs and confused men in this building,” Sinegorsky told me. “But as from today we begin a self-cleansing process.”
“Jews should not be worried,” he said. “We are an anti-fascist, anti-xenophobic movement.”
But Jews are very worried indeed.
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