“The leadership of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is deeply concerned about the anti-Semitic incidents in Poltava, Odessa and Ostrog. The desecration of the monument to the victims of Nazism and the tomb of Rabbi Magarsho are cowardly and cynical acts of xenophobia. The history of mankind proves that if perpetrators of such crimes go unpunished, this can lead to escalation and even, to cases of physical violence.

We appeal to the authorities of Ukraine with a request to find and punish those responsible. The fight against anti-Semitism and xenophobia requires decisive action, as well as a consistent moral position. The Ukrainian Jewish community is an integral part of its country. The duty of state authorities and law enforcement agencies is to ensure the safety of the Jewish population”, the EAJC statement said.

With the increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents, JTA announced that the EAJC is going to exclude from its ranks the VAAD of Ukraine and its leader Joseph Zissels. The reason for this was, among other things, Zissels’ statements in support of the UPA, the justification of the Volyn massacre, and harsh statements against the Russian and US authorities in response to the recent condemnation of anti-Semitic attacks on Ukraine.