OBSERVATIONS ON
JEWISH COMMUNITY LIFE IN UKRAINE
(Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Kyiv)
Report of a Visit in May 2012
The
writer visited Ukraine in May 2012, arriving in Kyiv on May 7 and proceeding to
Dnipropetrovsk the same day. From
Dnipropetrovsk, she traveled to Kharkiv and subsequently returned to
Dnipropetrovsk. She concluded her trip
in Kyiv, leaving the country on May 18.
Ukraine
is a country somewhat smaller in territory than the American state of
Texas. It shares borders with seven
other countries: Russia to its east and north; Belarus to its north; Poland,
Slovakia, and Hungary to its west; and Romania and Moldova to its
southwest. The Black Sea and the Sea of
Azov form its southern border.
Ukraine
is divided into 24 provinces or oblasts, one autonomous re-public
(Crimea), and two cities with special sta-tus – the capital city of Kyiv and
the Crimean port of Sevastopol, which hosts the Black Sea naval fleet of
Russia.
Eastern
Ukraine – the territory east of the Dnipr River – borders mainly on Russia and
is more russified in language and general outlook than the remainder of the
country. A strong natural resource base
of iron ore, coal, and other minerals has generated an economy based on heavy
industry in this segment of Ukraine. Central
and western Ukraine often is characterized by smaller cities and towns. Portions of western Ukraine were controlled
by other countries throughout its history until Soviet rule was consolidated
through Red Army triumphs and subsequent occupation in World War II. The influence of Poland, especially, remains
strong in the westernmost part of Ukraine.
Ukraine declared independence in 1991.
The
estimated population of Ukraine in July 2012 was 44,854,065, a steep
decline from its estimated 1991 population of approximately 53 million. The estimated 2012 birthrate is 9.59 live
births per 1,000 population, and the estimated 2012 death rate is 15.76 per
1,000 population, that is, the number of deaths is expected to exceed the
number of live births substantially. The
estimated life expectancy for women born in 2012 is 74.77 years; life
expectancy for men born in 2012 is 63.07.
The
estimated populations of Ukraine’s five largest cities in 2012 are: Kyiv, 3.0 million;
Kharkiv, 1.5 million; Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa, 1.0 million each; and Donetsk,
971,000 (2009 estimate for Donetsk).
Internal migration from smaller cities to larger metropolitan areas,
particularly Kyiv, continues today; it is possible that the population of these
large metropolitan areas is larger than noted due to the influx of unregistered
migrants from smaller population centers.
The
writer’s May journey in Ukraine was her most depressing experience in that
country since it became independent from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Despair was commonplace; a sense of
despondence seemed omnipresent. Confirming
her observations, a foreign emissary in Kyiv commented that “great
disaffection” is prevalent everywhere. A
local Jew employed at an executive level in the Jewish community stated that
Ukraine is “moving toward disaster” and that the future of the country is
“bitter” for all who remain within its borders.
The key issues are economic and business-related, all agreed. The global economic downturn has affected
Ukraine severely. Conflicting local tax
laws deter transparent compensation for goods and services. Politically well-connected individuals
instigate punitive tax inspections against their competitors and arrange to
confiscate businesses that they find attractive. Investment, therefore, is minimal; economic
stagnation and unemployment are the inevitable results.
Corruption
is endemic at all levels; at least 50 percent of individual income, asserted a
Kyiv-based analyst, is accrued “in envelopes”, i.e., illegally. Compounding “everyday lawlessness”, stated
another observer, is the growing “appetite” of clerks, whose demands increase
from day to day. The cost of doing
business used to be predictable, he said, but that no longer is the case. One doesn’t know on Monday, he continued,
what will be the price of completing a transaction on Friday. Purchasing and developing real estate is a
difficult and costly venture with numerous intermediaries, some of dubious
authority, demanding personal fees and incentives for the completion of
bureaucratic tasks. Inevitably,
financial corruption leads to corruption of the soul and a sense of defeat and
hopelessness.
The
rule of law remains elusive, subject to corruption and intimidation. Opponents of the governing elite are
persecuted, and
much of the oligarch-controlled media is subject to self-censorship. “It’s not as bad as Russia,” said one
prominent Jewish figure. “It’s not a
dictatorship.” However, he continued,
underlying “tension” exists, and many people are fearful of speaking out. As in Russia, the Internet offers some
anonymity and has become a major source of news for those in large urban areas,
replacing print media and television.
The government of President Viktor Yanukovych is fractious with
few accomplishments to its credit. The
opposition also is badly divided with no faction able to provide an attractive
alternative. Various polls suggest that
60 percent of Ukrainian young people would like to emigrate and build their
lives elsewhere.
Viktor
Yanukovych has been President of Ukraine since February 2010. He is considered by many to be a political
bully and thoroughly corrupt.
Photo:http://www.wizatbusiness.com/ukrainian-election-finally-resolved/2010/02/. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
Another
issue of concern is Ukraine’s large and often overbearing neighbor, Russia. Not only does Russia control a significant
portion of Ukrainian energy resources, Russian oligarchs – as well as
Ukrainians with close ties to Russia - also are prominent in Ukrainian business
and industry. A heavy Russian presence
is visible in Ukrainian culture, and the Russian Orthodox (Православ; Pravoslav) church persistently attempts to
undermine the Ukrainian Orthodox church.
Russia also maintains a naval base in Sevastopol on the Crimean
Peninsula. Erosion of Ukrainian
sovereignty clearly is the Russian goal, stated one foreign analyst. “They [Russia] do not need to physically occupy
Ukraine,” said another. Russia has enough leverage in Ukraine to be
highly influential without deploying Russian troops on Ukrainian territory
outside Crimea.
Responsible estimates of the size
of the Jewish population in Ukraine range from 80,000 to 200,000, with the
largest single number – 20,000 to 50,000 - residing in the capital city of
Kyiv. A somewhat smaller number of Jews
is believed to live in Dnipropetrovsk, and progressively smaller Jewish
populations are to be found in Odesa, Kharkiv, and Donetsk. No other Ukrainian city has even 10,000 Jews.
No Jewish population center in
Ukraine can be characterized as the center of Ukrainian Jewry. Notwithstanding its stature as the national
capital and the relatively large size of its Jewish population, Kyiv remains
without effective Jewish leadership, a
city with multiple Jewish offices but little sense of Jewish activism or
direction. Odesa, as always, is the
Jewish intellectual and cultural capital, and Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv are
important centers of Chabad activity.
However, the majority of Ukrainian Jews remain distant from Jewish
engagement, finding little of interest in contemporary Jewish life.
Antisemitism is common
throughout Ukraine, most frequently expressed through attribution of Jewish
ancestry to repellent fictional figures in television programs, allegations of
Jewish ancestry in smearing political opponents, and escalating antisemitic
commentary on websites. Antisemitic daubing
sometimes appears on walls and in Jewish cemeteries, but anti-Jewish physical
attacks on individuals are relatively rare.
Nonetheless, some Chabad or other Orthodox rabbis attired in traditional
religious garb rarely walk in public without the accompaniment of security
personnel. In general, law enforcement
officials seem reluctant to pursue reported cases of antisemitic attacks
against property, even when security cameras have recorded the images of
perpetrators.
Local antisemitism
sometimes is provoked by the annual gathering of 20,000 to 25,000 foreign
Hasidim and sympathizers every Rosh Hashanah on a pilgrimage to the grave of
Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810) in the small town of Uman. Conflict between residents and crowds of
visitors is almost inevitable, especially when each side is primed by alcohol.
Eager for tourist revenues from the visitors, many residents are nonetheless
offended by the conduct of the Hasidim. Further, said one observer familiar with the annual incursion, the situation
is exacerbated by local corrupt practices in which the mayor and several other officials manage to retain a disproportionate
share of tourist revenues for themselves, depriving other Uman citizens of
compensation for the considerable disruption of their lives. The “Uman situation”, said one foreign
diplomat, is “painful” – and no solution is in sight.
Jews pray in Uman under the
protection of Ukrainian police.
Photo: Sergei Supinsky, AFP. Copyright 2010.Retrieved August 23,
2012.
Another generator of local
antisemitism has been large lavish weddings of daughters of several prominent
Chabad rabbis. Hundreds of guests have
descended upon cities for these festivities; in one instance, the wedding was
held in the local football stadium, the only venue capable of accommodating the
mammoth crowd. Various services provided
by rabbis to guests may interfere with city life for several days. Even when
local non-Jewish residents are included in the celebrations, resentment of the
extravagance and disruptions often has a strong antisemitic tinge.
The writer interviewed 45
people during her travels in Ukraine, including four diplomats attached to
foreign representations. The diplomats
are not identified by name or position in this review.
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