by our UCSJ manager in L’viv, Volodymyr Valkov What is going to be the future of the Crimean peninsula and most importantly its people in the unfortunate event of Putin’s successful yet illegal military intervention in Ukraine? The future promises to be grim, to say the least. It is worth taking one brief look […]
The ex-Israeli soldier who led a Kiev fighting unit
He calls his troops “the Blue Helmets of Maidan,” but brown is the color of the headgear worn by Delta — the nom de guerre of the commander of a Jewish-led militia force that participated in the Ukrainian revolution. Under his helmet, he also wears a kippah. Delta, a Ukraine-born former soldier in the Israel Defense […]
Ukraine’s religious communities ask Russia to pull out troops
(JTA) — Religious communities in Ukraine, including the Jewish community, called on Russia to “stop its aggression against Ukraine” and pull out its troops. The religious communities also appealed to the international community, including the United States, Great Britain, the European Union, the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, to […]
UCSJ Statement on Ukraine
Union of Councils for Jews from the Former Soviet Union, oldest grass-root human rights NGO in the United States, strongly protests against Russian aggression towards Ukraine, as a violation of the Helsinki Final Act and presents a threat to all agreements and treaties in Europe, and to bi-lateral U.S.-Russian balance of armor agreements… We ask […]
Court silences Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny for 2 months
Washington Post by Kathy Lally MOSCOW — Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was put under house arrest for two months Friday and was prohibited from using the Internet, texting or speaking with anyone but his family. A Moscow court imposed the two months of silence on Navalny, who has used his blog and Twitter account to […]
Jewish agency to extend emergency aid to Ukraine’s Jewish community
JERUSALEM – Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel Natan Sharansky announced this evening (Saturday, February 22) that The Jewish Agency will extend immediate emergency assistance to the Jewish community of Ukraine and will help secure Jewish institutions in the country. “The Jewish community of Ukraine, which counts some 200,000 members, is […]
Jewish community center, synagogue firebombed in Ukraine
A Jewish community center and synagogue were firebombed in Ukraine late Monday, according to the Chabad Lubavitch organization. Fears that the tumult in Ukraine would place the Jewish community in harm’s way appeared to be realized late Monday, when Chabad, the religious outreach program which has managed to create a global presence, said that Molotov cocktails were hurled […]
UCSJ: “Building up Tolerance”
The project “Building up Tolerance: A Grassroots Approach to Strengthening the U.S.-Russian Dialogue By Fostering the Relationship Between American and Russian NGOs” has been designed by peer organizations from the USA and Russia, Union of Councils for Jews form the Former Soviet Union (UCSJ)[1] and Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG)[2]. Both share a long history of […]
Jewish groups ‘deeply concerned’ over Ukraine
by Sam Sokol, Jerusalem Post Several Jewish organizations expressed concern on Wednesday that increasing violence in Kiev could spill over into anti-Semitic attacks against the Jewish community. The groups, both within the Ukraine and abroad, issued statements in the wake of this week’s violence between riot police and antigovernment protesters who have occupied the city’s […]
Seven Reasons Why Russia Wants to Keep Ukraine All to Itself
by Allison Jackson, Global Post The protests sweeping across Ukraine began last November when the government ditched a promised trade and political deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties with its old Soviet master. Critics say Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych chose his allegiances under considerable pressure from Russia. EU officials have accused […]