Chief rabbi of Ukraine addresses New York community (04/18/99)

Chief rabbi of Ukraine addresses New York community

by Stephanie Charczenko

NEW YORK - The chief rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine, Rabbi Yaakov Bleich, who arrived in the United States with representatives of Ukrainian Jewish businessmen to attend meetings with government officials in Washington, was guest speaker at the Shevchenko Scientific Society on March 17. The evening was sponsored by the Society for Ukrainian Jewish Relations (SUJR), the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) and the Ukrainian American Coordinating Committee (UACC).

Opening remarks were delivered by Askold Lozynskyj, president of the UCCA and the Ukrainian World Congress. Referring to the historical parallels between the Jews and Ukrainians, and the fact that so many Jews lived on Ukrainian territory during both Russian imperialist rule and Polish domination, Mr. Lozynskyj fondly recalled his first meeting with Rabbi Bleich after the "60 Minutes" debacle, when he discovered the coincidental similarities of their familial backgrounds. Both Rabbi Bleich and Mr. Lozynskyj are from Brooklyn and apparently Rabbi Bleich's grandfather was the head rabbi in a small village near Ternopil (Kopychenchy), the birthplace of Mr. Lozynskyj's mother.

Evhen Stakhiv, president of the Society for Ukrainian Jewish Relations, spoke briefly about the activities of the SUJR, which was established in 1980. The SUJR hosted many special evenings for renowned Ukrainian Jewish and American Jewish leaders. Among the featured guest speakers were: David Levitas, editor-in-chief of Yevreiskiye Vestie and chairman of the Jewish Council of Ukraine; and Yakov Suslensky, head of the Society for Jewish-Ukrainian Relations in Jerusalem.

In May of 1995 the society honored Rabbi David H. Lincoln of the Park Avenue Synagogue with an award for fostering the improvement of Ukrainian-Jewish relations, and in December 1995 the SUJR conducted an academic conference titled "Ukrainian-Jewish Dialogue."

Introducing Rabbi Bleich to the audience, Mr. Stakhiv mentioned that when he and this writer, who is vice-president of the SUJR, traveled to Ukraine in 1995, they visited the synagogue in Kyiv and met with today's guest of honor.

Rabbi Bleich, who is fiercely loyal in his commitment to his adopted homeland, Ukraine, initially greeted the gathering of people in Ukrainian and apologized for his lack of expertise in the language, which he had begun learning upon his arrival in Ukraine 10 years ago. (Considering that this is the first Slavic language he has mastered - he speaks four other languages - the rabbi's Ukrainian is much better than he gives himself credit for.) Throughout the evening he alternated his discussion between Ukrainian and English.

The purpose of Rabbi Bleich's visit to the United States was dual in nature: first, to announce the formation of a Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, which would oversee and cultivate Jewish issues on the national and international levels; second, to meet with and speak to political entities in Washington about the economic and political future of Ukraine.

The approximately 500,000 Jews living in Ukraine today are astutely aware that their communities blossomed only during the new democracy in Ukraine, and they strongly support a secure and stable democracy, he noted. Given the precarious political climate and the uncertainty of the upcoming elections in Ukraine, Rabbi Bleich said he feels that, without financial, moral and humanitarian assistance from the United States, the possibility of a leftist government with political leaders such as "at best a Moroz, at worst - Tkachenko or Symonenko" could bring a future that most certainly would be dismal.

To underscore the dangerous myopic vision of such left-leaning politicians as Petro Symonenko, Rabbi Bleich recalled a conversation he had with the Communist leader during the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. When Rabbi Bleich, along with other Jewish leaders, asked the delegates from Ukraine to vote in favor of a resolution condemning anti-Semitism in Russia, Mr. Symonenko responded that they will decide how to vote when they consult with their friends from Moscow. When a somewhat stunned Rabbi Bleich reminded Mr. Symonenko that Ukraine is now an independent country, he recalled that Mr. Symonenko responded: "We lost our independence in 1991."

The rabbi also warned that if Oleksander Tkachenko receives enough votes in Parliament to change the Constitution, creating a parliamentary republic and possibly becoming the next president, "we would have Lukashenka No. 2." Incidentally, added Rabbi Bleich, Mr. Symonenko praises Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka for the "great Slavic unity" that he formed in joining with Russia and for the "great reforms and advances taken by Belarus economically."

Regarding Oleksander Moroz, Rabbi Bleich adamantly declared: "He might be trying to play both sides, by trying to say the right things to the right people, but usually says the wrong things to the wrong people. He would be the best of the leftists, but make no mistake, he's a red .... he's a commie."

Prior to the Jewish delegation's trip to Washington, members met with President Leonid Kuchma. According to Rabbi Bleich, the president told them: "It will cost the West a lot more money to save Ukraine from the claws of Russia than it will cost them to keep Ukraine from falling into their claws." Mr. Kuchma also said that the United States' lack of commitment is pushing Ukraine towards a political union with Russia, something that, according to the president, Ukraine is not interested in - especially considering that NATO is almost at the border of Ukraine's steppes. Since March 12, when Poland became part of the NATO alliance, it is obvious that Ukraine's eyes are turned westward.

One of the key and critical components Rabbi Bleich and the Jewish businessmen discussed at their meetings in Washington was the loss of $200 million in credits and humanitarian aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture this year as a result of the $3.6 million in individual investment disputes between Ukraine and American businessmen. A $20 million shipment of cotton earmarked for Ukraine, which would have created factory jobs for some of the unemployed populace, also was canceled due to these unresolved claims. Among the major obstacles in the settlement of these disputes is the lack of both decision-making by the courts and the implementation of rule of law.

Generally speaking, according to Rabbi Bleich, people feel comfortable living in Ukraine; he gave much of the credit for inter-ethnic equilibrium to President Kuchma and the Ukrainian government. However, because of Ukraine's unstable economic situation, there is a tremendous exodus of Jews to Israel from Ukraine (20,000 per year). Although Rabbi Bleich claimed this is the largest source of Jewish émigrés in the entire world, he said he believes this migration would decrease given a more optimistic economic forecast.

Queried about the U.S. State Department's report on human rights in 1998, which noted that there are indications that acts of anti-Semitism have increased in Ukraine from previous years, Rabbi Bleich responded that, in his opinion, the facts are subject to Western standards of interpretation which quite often results in a misrepresentation of the truth as evidenced, for example, by the highly publicized and controversial "60 Minutes" segment on "The Ugly Face of Freedom." As a matter of fact, the rabbi said he informed the U.S. Embassy last year that there is "definitely no official anti-Semitism in Ukraine."

On the subject of Jewish organizations and schools in Ukraine, Rabbi Bleich said there are over 350 very active Jewish organizations in existence in Ukraine today; that funds for humanitarian and social welfare services have been donated by the Jewish diaspora, which has received remuneration for property reclaimed from Germany.

Rabbi Bleich said he met with and informed the Ukrainian survivors' organization that compensation from the German government is available for Jewish as well as non-Jewish survivors of the ghettos and concentration camps, and invited them to learn how to utilize these funds for setting up day care and social welfare services of their own. Apparently, the German government would prefer that the money be used for providing social services to the indigent, elderly and disabled members of the communities rather than making one-time payments.

There are 16 Jewish day schools in Ukraine, 12 of which are partially supported by the Ukrainian government, with an enrollment of 5,000 Jewish students. Quite obviously pleased with the educational accomplishments of his schools, Rabbi Bleich reported that all the lessons are taught in Ukrainian in the schools he operates in Kyiv, and that singing the Ukrainian national anthem is mandatory at the beginning and end of the school year, graduations and special occasions. The singing of the Ukrainian anthem in most schools in Ukraine has not, as yet, attained the same kind of respect or pride as a national anthem does in other democracies throughout the world, he added.

Solomon University in Kyiv, a university founded and supported by Jews, is mostly attended by Ukrainians because of the Jewish faculty. Rabbi Bleich, who often sprinkles his exceptionally riveting dialogues with humorous anecdotes, took this opportunity to share the following witticism with the audience: "You should always have a Jewish mechanic, a Jewish doctor and a Jewish teacher."

One of the last questions during the question and answer session at the end of the evening concerned the use of the Jewish lobby to obtain aid for Ukraine. Responding to this, Rabbi Bleich gently chided the Ukrainian diaspora for the lack of a strong lobby in Washington stating: "If five measly businessmen can withhold $100 million of aid from Ukraine because of individual claims ... believe you me, Ukraine has no lobby in Washington."

Rabbi Bleich suggested that it is the responsibility of the Ukrainian diaspora to "get their act together and invest their money" and that "it's a pretty sad situation" that he was the one who informed an unenlightened Ukrainian lobby office of the Department of Agriculture's funding cutoff. With 1 million ethnic voters in the U.S., setting up a powerful Ukrainian lobby should be a priority, he underlined. The Ukrainian Jewish community is more than willing to voice its support for Ukraine in Washington and is "willing to work along with, but not for" the Ukrainians, added Rabbi Bleich.

Following the formal discussion and questions from the audience, there was a reception and photo opportunity with the distinguished guest. During the reception, Rabbi Bleich, who candidly expresses his intense concern for the general welfare of all of Ukraine and believes that "what's good for Ukraine is good for the Jewish community," proudly displayed a photograph of his family neatly attired in Ukrainian folk costumes. Donning clothing other than the ceremonial garments required by the orthodox Jews, he explained, is allowed only once a year, during the Jewish holiday of Purim.

Stephanie Charczenko is vice-president of the Society for Ukrainian-Jewish Relations.

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