New Ukrainian Law Moves Christmas To EDec. 25, Rejecting Russian Orthodox Date

 AP reports that last Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law that moves the date on which Ukraine will celebrate Christmas from January 7 (the date observed by the Russian Orthodox Church) to December 25. According to AP:

The explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to “abandon the Russian heritage,” including that of “imposing the celebration of Christmas” on Jan. 7. It cited Ukrainians’ “relentless, successful struggle for their identity” and “the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions, holidays,”....

The law also moves the dates for two other Ukrainian patriotic holidays.

European Court: Ukraine Violates Human Rights Convention by Denying Legal Recognition to Same-Sex Couples

In Maymulakhin & Markiv v. Ukraine, (ECHR, June 1, 2023), the European Court of Human Rights in a Chamber Judgment held that Ukraine violated Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights taken in conjunction with Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) by denying any form of legal recognition to same-sex couples. The Court said in part:

While the Court has to date not interpreted Article 8 of the Convention as imposing a positive obligation on the States Parties to make marriage available to same-sex couples, it has confirmed that in accordance with their positive obligations under that provision, the member States are required to provide a legal framework allowing same‑sex couples to be granted adequate recognition and protection of their relationship.... The Court has also held that Contracting States enjoy a more extensive margin of appreciation in determining the exact nature of the legal regime to be made available to same sex couples....

The Court ordered Ukraine to pay the two petitioners 5032 Euros each as damages and to pay 4000 Euros for costs and attorney's fees.

The Court also issued a press release (PDF download link) summarizing its decision.

USCIRF Holds Hearing on Russian Violation of Religious Freedom Through Its Invasion of Ukraine

Last Wednesday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom held a virtual hearing on Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Implications for Religious Freedom. (Video of full Hearing and transcripts of written presentations.) USCIRF described the hearings:

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine a year ago, Russian forces have committed numerous religious freedom and other related human rights violations in Ukraine, including the killing and torture of religious leaders and the destruction of countless houses of worship. Russian officials have repeatedly turned to antisemitic rhetoric and Holocaust distortion in an effort to justify the country’s groundless invasion. In the areas of Ukraine that Russia has occupied since 2014, its de facto authorities and proxies have imposed draconian laws to suppress religious communities such as the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, predominantly Muslim Crimean Tatars and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Meanwhile, in Russia, the state has continued to prosecute an ever-growing list of religious groups as so-called “extremists” for their peaceful religious activities and launched a ruthless campaign to silence civil society and independent media.

Three Chabad Rabbis Are On Russia's List Of Those Banned From Travel To Russia

As reported by Axios, Russia last Saturday released a list of 963 Americans who are banned from traveling to Russia in retaliation for American sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. JTA reports that included in the list are three rabbis who are leaders of Agudas Chassidei Chabad which has been attempting for years to force Russia to return to it in the U.S. two expropriated collections of valuable Jewish religious books and manuscripts:

Rabbi Avraham Shemtov, a founder of the Washington office of the movement, American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), that has led lobbying for U.S. pressure on Russia;

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, the umbrella group’s secretary, who heads the educational and social arms of Chabad-Lubavitch; and

Rabbi Shlomo Cunin, a West Coast leader of the movement who is prominent in the branch of the movement seeking the return of the texts.

It has been suggested recently that Chabad now has a better chance of getting at assets to satisfy fines imposed on Russia by an American court for Russia's refusal to return the books.

NYT Details Russian Orthodox Patriarch's Important Support For Invasion Of Ukraine

The New York Times yesterday posted a long article detailing the crucial support given by Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill I to Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine, saying in part:

Patriarch Kirill I has provided spiritual cover for the invasion of Ukraine, reaping vast resources for his church in return. Now, in an extraordinary step, the E.U. is threatening him with sanctions....

Kirill has called Mr. Putin’s long tenure “a miracle of God,” and has characterized the war as a just defense against liberal conspiracies to infiltrate Ukraine with “gay parades.”...

Kirill has in recent years aspired to expand his church’s influence, pursuing an ideology consistent with Moscow being a “Third Rome,” ... in which Mr. Putin’s Russia would become the spiritual center of the true church after Rome and Constantinople.

It is a grand project that dovetails neatly with — and inspired — Mr. Putin’s mystically tinged imperialism of a “Russkiy Mir,” or a greater Russian world.

U.S. Sanctions On Russia May Lead To Chabad Recovering Assets In Suit Over Return Of Jewish Library Collection

As previously reported, in 2013 the D.C. federal district court held the Russian government and three of its agencies in civil contempt for not complying with a 2010 default judgement ordering it to return two expropriated collections of valuable Jewish religious books and manuscripts to Chasidei Chabad of United States.  Despite objections by the United States government, the court imposed civil sanctions of $50,000 per day until defendants comply with the court's order. Chabad ever since has been seeking Russian assets to satisfy the continually accruing civil sanctions. 

This week, JTA published an interesting analysis suggesting that Ukraine-related U.S. sanctions on Russia may set the stage for Chabad to recover assets:

By late 2021, two entities had emerged as Chabad’s primary targets: Russia’s main development bank, VEB, and Tenex, a subsidiary of a Russian state-run company called Rosatom that sells uranium to nuclear power plants in the United States.

The United States announced sanctions on VEB on Feb. 22 in the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, freezing the bank’s U.S. assets. Its determination that VEB is effectively state wealth has given [Steven] Lieberman [Chabad's attorney] confidence that Chabad can eventually convince the U.S. Treasury Department to turn over VEB assets....

If VEB’s U.S. assets are all tied up in sanctions, Tenex remains entirely unrestricted. That’s because when the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Russia’s energy industry on March 8, it exempted nuclear power, allowing the continued import of Russian uranium. 

“If we’re allowed to seize the assets of Tenex, Chabad will be the only religious organization in the world that has its own nuclear power supply,” Lieberman said, half-jokingly.

USCIRF Warns of Religious Oppression By Russians In Ukraine

Last week, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a press release warning that Russia will likely target religious communities across Ukraine with violence and oppression. The release reads in part:

The Russian government uses distortions of religious history to support its claim that Ukrainians have no independent ethno-religious identity or state tradition,” said USCIRF Commissioner James W. Carr. “In 2019, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople recognized an independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, allowing many parishes previously under the jurisdiction of Moscow to sever those ties in a move that infuriated Russian nationalist sentiments. These parishes and their leadership are in jeopardy if Russian control expands.”...

“In the areas of Ukraine already occupied by Russia in 2014, we have seen the Russian government use baseless charges of religious extremism and terrorism to silence dissent, justify endless raids and mass arrests, and close religious institutions that do not conform to its narrow interpretation of ‘traditional’ religion,” said USCIRF Commissioner Khizr Khan. “Indigenous Crimean Tatar Muslims—who oppose the Russian occupation of their homeland—are routinely charged with terrorism based on their ethno-religious identity rather than any substantive evidence. Many of these individuals receive prison sentences of up to 20 years. 

Israel's Chief Rabbi Proposes Special Court To Aid Ukrainian Refugees In Proving Religious Status

Jewish Press and Israel Hayom yesterday reported that Israel's Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau in a letter to Israel's attorney general has proposed setting up a special religious court (Beit Din) to assist the expected 30,000 or more refugees from Ukraine in proving their Jewish status, thus entitling them to Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.  The refugees are now entering the country with tourist visas.  Lau pointed out that many Ukrainians fled their homes without documentation of their religious status. Lau plans to appoint three retired religious court judges with experience in this area to the special Beit Din.

Sanctions On Russian Financial Firm Leads Counsel To End Representation In Litigation Over Recovery Of Jewish Books From Russia

As previously reported, for nearly two decades Agudas Chasidei Chabad has been attempting to recover from the Russian government two expropriated collections of valuable Jewish religious books and manuscripts. In 2013, the D.C. federal district court held the Russian government and three of its agencies in civil contempt, and imposed sanctions of $50,000 per day, for not complying with a 2010 default judgement ordering it to return the materials.  Plaintiffs have been attempting to find Russian assets to satisfy the sanctions by issuing subpoenas to various entities. In Agudas Chasidei Chabad of United States v. Russia Federation, (DC Cir., Dec. 3, 2021), the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to quash subpoenas directed at several Russian entities, including State Development Corp VEB.RF. (Background).  At the same time that an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was being planned, Russia began aggressive moves toward Ukraine. This led the U.S. to impose sanctions on VEB.RF. (Department of Treasury Press Release, Feb. 22, 2022). Now, as reported by Reuters, VEB.RF's lawyers in the litigation with Chabad, the global firm of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, announced on Monday that it is ending its representation of VEB.RF. On Monday, the law firm filed a Motion (full text) with the D.C. Circuit seeking a stay of proceedings until VEB has obtained substitute counsel.

Putin's Grievances Include Split In Ukraine's Orthodox Churches

As the world's attention is focused on Russia's claims on Ukraine, there has been less reporting on the tensions between Russian and Ukrainian branches of the Orthodox Church.  This AP background article by Prof. J. Eugene Clay points out:

Two different Orthodox churches claim to be the one true Ukrainian Orthodox Church for the Ukrainian people... The older and larger church is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate.... A branch of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is under the spiritual authority of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.....

By contrast, the second, newer church, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, celebrates its independence from Moscow.... In January 2019, [Constantinople] Patriarch Bartholomew formally recognized the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as a separate, independent and equal member of the worldwide communion of Orthodox churches.

Vladimir Putin's widely reported Feb. 21 speech on the Ukraine (full text) included Russian grievances as to this religious split. Putin said in part:

Kiev continues to prepare the destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. This is not an emotional judgement; proof of this can be found in concrete decisions and documents. The Ukrainian authorities have cynically turned the tragedy of the schism into an instrument of state policy. The current authorities do not react to the Ukrainian people’s appeals to abolish the laws that are infringing on believers’ rights. Moreover, new draft laws directed against the clergy and millions of parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate have been registered in the Verkhovna Rada.

Ukrainian Parliament Outlaws Antisemitism

 JTA reports that the Ukrainian Parliament on Wednesday passed a law banning "antisemitism and its manifestations."  The vote was 283- 6 with 40 abstentions and 33 not present. (Legislative history). According to JTA:

The Law on Prevention and Counteraction to Anti-Semitism in Ukraine defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, expressed as hatred of Jews.” It lists examples of this, including Holocaust denial and “calling for, concealing or justifying the killing or harm of persons of Jewish origin.” 

The law must still be signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish.

Ukrainian Region Bans Baptist Books, Including Gospel of John

In the Luhansk region of Ukraine, pro-Russian rebels have proclaimed the Luhansk People's Republic.  It is not recognized internationally, Forum18 now reports that a government decision on November 26 banned 12 Baptist books as "extremist." The Luhansk Religion Law requires state approval for any church to operate, and prohibits churches not affiliated with the Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate from applying for permission. The newly banned books include the Gospels of John, the Baptist "Songs of Revival", the Baptist magazine "Herald of Truth" and several children's books.  The text of the government decision banning the books has not been published and the government says that it is a "secret document for official use and for limited distribution." The banned Gospels of John are included in the Russian Synodal translation of the Bible.

Split of Ukrainian Orthodox Church From Moscow Looms

The New York Times reported yesterday that in a move having significant political as well as religious significance, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is about to formalize its separation from the Moscow-based Orthodox Patriarchate:

Intensifying a millennium-old religious struggle freighted with 21st-century geopolitical baggage, Ukraine’s security services have in recent weeks interrogated priests loyal to Moscow, searched church properties and enraged their Russian rivals....

The new Ukrainian church is expected to be granted legitimacy on Jan. 6, the eve of the Orthodox Christmas, when its newly elected head, Metropolitan Epiphanius, travels to Istanbul to receive an official charter from the Constantinople patriarchate, a longtime rival power center to Moscow.

Obama Appoints Delegation To Babi Yar Commemoration

Yesterday President Obama announced the appointment of a Presidential Delegation to attend the Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Babyn Yar Massacre in the Ukraine. The 4-person delegation is headed by Marie Yovanovitch, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, and also includes the chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.  The History Channel summarizes the events in Kiev in 1941:

The German army took Kiev on September 19, and special SS squads prepared to carry out Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s orders to exterminate all Jews and Soviet officials found there. Beginning on September 29, more than 30,000 Jews were marched in small groups to the Babi Yar ravine to the north of the city, ordered to strip naked, and then machine-gunned into the ravine. The massacre ended on September 30, and the dead and wounded alike were covered over with dirt and rock.

Perhaps reflecting current international tensions in the area, the White House announcement used the Ukrainian term (Babyn Yar) rather than the more commonly used Russian name (Babi Yar) for the site.

New Study Examines Power of Orthodox Churches In Former Soviet Republics

The London-based Foreign Policy Centre last week (Oct. 28) released a 79-page report (full text) titled Traditional Religion and Political Power: Examining the Role of the Church in Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine and Moldova. Here is an excerpt from the report's Executive Summary:

In all four states the churches are looking to entrench their role in society and are testing the limits of their influence given that they are the most trusted institutions in each country. To varying extents they have all used a ‘traditional values’ agenda, focused primarily and most successfully on opposition to LGBTI rights, to bolster their support. The Russian Church and state have also been trying to promote this traditional values agenda as part of their ethos of ‘the Russian World’ with which they have been looking to influence the churches and societies of their ‘near abroad’. The Russian social agenda tallies with that of the orthodox communities in these four countries, though this does not always translate into geo-political support for Russia as some of the churches are keen to assert their independence. Having been pushed to the margins of society in Soviet times, the Orthodox churches have taken the opportunity to place themselves at the centre of national and political life in Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine and Moldova, a position they are unlikely to relinquish in the near future.

Eurasianet reports on the study.

Russian Culture Ministry Takes Over Crimean Historic Religious Site

AP reports that Russia's President Vladimir Putin today placed an important archaeological site in the Crimea under control of the Russian Culture Ministry.  The site, the ancient city of Chersonesus, is near Sevastopol, the main port city in the Crimea which Russia annexed from Ukraine last year. Chersonesus is important as the place where the Kievan Rus ruler, Prince Vladimir, was baptized in 988 before bringing Christianity to the region.  Putin's move comes after the Governor of Sevastopol was widely criticized for his decision last month to appoint a Russian Orthodox priest as director of the Chersonesus museum.  The priest was seen as lacking the education and experience for the position, and Sevastopol's governor was mocked on Russian social media for his explanation that "religion has always dealt with science."

Split Developing In Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

The New York Times posted an article yesterday titled Ukrainian Church Faces Obscure Pro-Russia Revolt in Its Own Ranks, detailing an "obscure pro-Moscow revolt" faced by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from some of its own clergy.  While the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has already split between its Kyvian and Moscow Patriarchates, now the previously unified Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church faces a possible split:

As with other fundamentalist groups that have split from long-established churches..., the breakaway Ukrainian outfit is obsessed with homosexuality and with preventing any tolerance of what it views as a grave sin. But theological issues, its critics say, mask a geopolitical agenda that puts it firmly on the side of Russia in opposition to Ukraine’s drawing closer to the Europe.

Ukraine's Jewish Leaders Dispute Putin's Charges Of Anti-Semitism In Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a news conference (full text) on Tuesday at which he attempted to justify recent Russian actions in Ukraine. He said in part:

What is our biggest concern? We see the rampage of reactionary forces, nationalist and anti-Semitic forces going on in certain parts of Ukraine, including Kiev.

JTA reported yesterday that an open letter to Putin from Ukraine's Jewish community took issue with his remarks about anti-Semitism.  Posted on the website of the Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine, the letter written in Russian (full text English translation) and signed by 21 leaders of Ukraine's Jewish community said in part:

Your certainty about the growth of anti-Semitism in Ukraine, which you expressed at your press-conference, also does not correspond to the actual facts. Perhaps you got Ukraine confused with Russia, where Jewish organizations have noticed growth in anti-Semitic tendencies last year.... The Jews of Ukraine, as all ethnic groups, are not absolutely unified in their opinion towards what is happening in the country. But we live in a democratic country and can afford a difference of opinion.

Ukrainian Religious Organizations Impacted By Russian Actions

Not surprisingly, the rapidly developing conflict between Ukraine and Russia is impacting Ukraine's religious institutions.  The Orthodox Church-- the dominant religion in Ukraine-- is split between three factions. These are the pro- Russian Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate); the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate) which dominates Kiev and the central region of the country; and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church whose membership is mainly in the western half of Ukraine. According to The Economnist, this past Monday Moscow moved to assure its control over the Ukrainian Church that is part of the Moscow Patriarchate:

On Monday, the ruling synod of the UOC met and named a "locum tenens" to run the institution's headquarters in Kiev because of the incapacity of its elderly leader, Metropolitan Volodymyr.... The synod said it had ascertained that Metropolitan Volodymyr was definitely too ill to carry out his duties. The new acting leader, a certain Metropolitan Onufry from the southwest of Ukraine, certainly looks, from his biography, like a man who will remain in step with Moscow....

However the synod also accepted a proposal from the Kiev Patriarchate for dialogue.  Some think this is an attempt to continue to be a player should the Ukrainian government move toward creating a single national church.

Meanwhile, as reported by RIA Novosti, on Wednesday in the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy, a dozen backers of the Kiev Patriarchate attempted to seize a UOC-MP cathedral and threatened to set it on fire.  Other religious groups are also responding.  Yesterday's Catholic Sun reports that the Catholic bishop whose diocese includes Crimea issued a statement calling for "all believers and nonbelievers to refrain from extremism, and not to allow the fraternal bond between people living in Crimea to break."

New York Jewish Week this week reports on the uncertain situation of the Jewish community in Ukraine. There have been a few anti-Semitic incidents, including the fire bombing of a synagogue.  Several outside agencies are providing aid, including funds for increased security, for the Jewish community.

New Ukraine Acting President Turchynov Is Baptist Pastor

Christianity Today reports that Ukraine's new Acting President who took office on Sunday is not only a well-respected opposition politician, but is also a Baptist pastor. BBC reports that the interim President, Olexander Turchynov, was the top aide to former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko (who was imprisoned by the now ousted President Viktor Yanukovych). Turchynov preaches regularly at one of the Baptist churches in Kiev. In an article today, Religion News Service speculates:

Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov is neither Ukrainian Orthodox nor Eastern Rite Catholic, and that may be the key to his success at a time when fissures between East and West are threatening to split the country,