NEW YORK - The World Jewish Congress joins its Ukrainian affiliates, the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine and the Vaad of Ukraine, in expressing grave concerns about proposed efforts to glorify the so-called Koliivshchyna in Ukraine.
“The Haidamak Rebellion in 1768 brought death and destruction to vast numbers of people and is symbolized by the terrible slaughter at Uman during which thousands of Jews, Poles, Roman Catholics and Ukrainian Unitiates were slaughtered,” said World Jewish Congress CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer, who was born and raised in Ukraine. “It is the victims of this terrible tragedy who should be remembered and mourned, not those who killed them. The Koliivshchyna is an event that should be studied in Ukraine as an example of the perils of religious and ethnic intolerance.”
“The World Jewish Congress again commends Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s recent condemnation of 'any manifestations of intolerance and anti-Semitism,' and his declaration that 'Ukraine is not a place for discrimination and intolerance on any ground, since respect for life and dignity of every person is the highest value for the Ukrainian state',” Singer said.
“This approach is the only viable option for us as an international society. It is only by facing the realities of history openly and honestly that we can move forward together and defeat bigotry and xenophobia in all its forms,” Singer concluded.