EAJC leaders appealed to the President of Ukraine and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada

The leaders of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and its president Dr. Michael Mirilashvili appealed to the President of Ukraine Mr. Vladimir Zelensky and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmitry Razumkov with a request to support the bill No. 5109 on preventing and countering anti-Semitism in Ukraine, which was submitted for consideration to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on February 19.

The leaders of the EAJC pointed out that on April 6, at the meeting of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the members of the Committee on human rights voted unanimously to recommend the Parliament to include the bill on the agenda of the session of the Rada.

It is noteworthy that according to the monitoring reports on anti-Semitism, an increase in the number of manifestations of anti-Semitism was registered in Ukraine last year. On the last days of April a march celebrating a founding anniversary of the Galicia Devision was staged in the centre of Kiev. During the Second World War this devision was a part of Waffen-SS and was involved in its horrific crimes.

The EAJC expressed the concern about the march and condemned the ongoing glorification of Nazis collaborators. In the official appeal the EAJC leaders stated that ‘‘preserving the memory of Holocaust victims and resisting anti-Semitism are not the internal affairs of certain countries or Jewish communities. They are a collective responsibility of civil society.’’

Due to the situation the EAJC leaders also called for legal acceptance of the «anti-Semitism» definition formulated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

‘‘We are convinced,’’ Dr.Michael Mirilashvili said in the appeal, ‘‘that the combination of these actions will significantly reduce the degree of anti-Semitic sentiments in Ukraine and allow Jews, citizens of the country, to feel confident and safe.’’