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.
