Having started the war, russia has declared the whole political nation its enemy — I have given a speech at the OSCE conference
I have given a speech at the OSCE conference on the fight against anti-Semitism.
On February 24 last year, just like 80 years ago, the Jews of Ukraine again experienced for themselves what real intolerance means.
In the first days of the current Ukrainian war for independence, a member of the local Hillel chapter Serafim Sabaranskiy was killed while defending my hometown Kharkiv.
Three days later, a Russian missile hit the home of 96-year-old Borys Romanchenko. A prisoner of four Nazi concentration camps was killed at home.
At the same time, in Mariupol, a survivor of the Holocaust Vanda Obiedkova was dying of cold and hunger in the basement of a house destroyed by the Russians.
The whole past year is full of such tragic stories. All of them are not only about anti-Semitism, but also about anti-Ukrainianism. These stories are about hatred and intolerance at their worst.
Having started the war, russia has declared the whole political nation its enemy. Russia declared enemies all those who live in Ukraine and consider it their home. Including Jews.
Is there an effective way to combat violent intolerance? I’m sure it’s the same one that the Jews have been using for more than two thousand years, as long as anti-Semitism exists. Keep together! Aggressors, terrorists and anti-Semites will be defeated, receiving an organized resistance.
Such unity makes it possible to resist both anti-Ukrainianism and anti-Semitism. To fight against everything with the prefix “anti” in relation to universal human values.
We will continue discussions on this topic very soon at #KyivJewishForum.
