Thursday, April 17, 2014
The Silent Grapevine (TSG)
Written by Mary Pat Withem
The world is reacting adversely to the latest requirement of Jews in Ukraine. They are now being required to register with the Ukrainians who are trying to make the city of Donetsk part of Russia. People are saying things like, “This is just like pre-WWII”. The way that they were informed was by leaflets being passed outside their synagogue ordering them to provide a list of property they own and a registration fee. The consequence for not abiding by the requirement was having their citizenship revoked and to face deportation. They would also have their asset confiscated.
The Silent Grapevine felt that it was necessary to share a Deaf Jewish perspective in order to help the world understand how the American Deaf Jewish community views this situation and that it is a very bad situation.
“In light of what happened recently with the emergence of anti-Semitic leaflets that orders every Ukrainian Jew to register with the Ukrainian government or face deportation of the Jews is beyond words that can describe this upsetting feeling. Recall the days of czarist pogroms and Nazi-era persecution of Jews, have appeared recently in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Though it says that the leaflets came from the Donetsk People’s Republic who now claims that the leaflets are fake and were not involved in this fiasco. It still pains me that there are sick people out there to spread around fear and terror targeting the Jews. What the Jews went through for thousands of years of expulsion, deportation, anti-Semitism, mass killings and execution of the Jews is a unforgettable one one and we will not go quietly in the night. For the Jews to think about what’s happened to them in the 1940s happening again today is enough. The Jews have shown their love over time and we will continue to do so. Anti-Semitism is a disease and it must be fought. We must bring justice to those who are responsible for creating these leaflets. It is no joke.” (Adam Hannig)
In the meantime, Jewish people in Donetsk, Ukraine are choosing to react with very little or no care.
The Donetsk Jewish community dismissed this as “a provocation,” which it clearly is. “It’s an obvious provocation designed to get this exact response, going all the way up to Kerry,” says Fyodr Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs. “I have no doubt that there is a sizeable community of anti-Semites on both sides of the barricades, but for one of them to do something this stupid
