Parliament speaker in Ukraine promises restitution to Jews

The speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Volodymyr Lytvyn, has said that parliament supported the return of property seized from Jews by the government during the Soviet era. Lytvyn is expected to ask president Yushchenko, prime minister Tymoshenko and Kiev officials to find a practical resolution to the issue. He said the process would involve not only adopting new laws but also strictly enforcing existing laws. Lytvyn will also call on parliament to publicly condemn anti-Semitism in Ukraine, his office announced this week. Lytvyn's party controls 26 of the parliament's 450 seats. Ukraine is home to about 100,000 Jews. Hundreds of thousands of Jews perished over the centuries in pogroms staged by Ukrainian nationalists, and millions died during the Holocaust. Anti-Semitic feelings still linger, particularly in western Ukraine, where nationalism has its strongest roots.