World Responds To Attack On Kyiv Central Synagogue

Among the participants at the 15 April press conference were Vadim Rabinovich, head of the All-Ukrainian Jewish Congress and the United Jewish community, Moshe-Reuven Azman, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and the Kyiv region, Harri Karagodsky, head of the Council of Trustees of the Brodsky Central Synagogue, and Eduard Dolynsky, director of the United Jewish community of Ukraine. Rabinovich pointed out that it is the first time since Ukraine’s independence that the Jews were confronted with a carefully planned anti-Semitic action, which can only be assessed as “simple fascism.” The participants of the press conference presented photos of the events which, according to the Jewish community, testify that it was an attack, rather than petty hooliganism. Rabinovich assured journalists that it was an anti-Semitic attack. “If we notice that the investigation reaches a deadlock, we are ready to find the witnesses by ourselves and provide the police with enough evidence,” he said. According to Moshe-Reuven Azman, the attack on the synagogue was provoked by a sudden aggravation of the Middle East conflict and is connected with increasing anti-Jewish sentiments throughout the world. On 15 April 2002, The Jerusalem Post reported: “About 50 youths attacked the central synagogue [of Kyiv], beating a rabbi and two others with stones, hurling bottles, and destroying property.” Jewish communities from other countries sent their condolences to the Jewish community in Kyiv. President Kuchma and Ukraine’s minister of Internal Affairs have taken the investigation under their control. On 15 April 2002, Anatolii Zlenko, Ukraine’s minister of Foreign Affairs, had a telephone conversation with Israel’s ambassador to Ukraine, Anna Azari. Zlenko assured Azari that the law-enforcement department would take all necessary measures to investigate “the heinous act” of the attack on the synagogue. This was reported by Serhii Borodenko, head of the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a briefing in Kyiv on 16 April 2002. He stated that the Ministry considers the accident to be “the act of soccer hooligans” and found it “difficult to interpret” the statements by leaders of some Jewish organizations in Ukraine claiming it to be an anti-Semitic attack. Sources: http://www.jpost.com, http://ukr.for-ua.com, http://mignews.com.ua