Kyiv Post | 02Feb2010 | Interfax-Ukraine
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/58461/

Ukraine's chief Rabbi ready to give up state order to protest against Bandera award

Ukraine's Jewish community is outraged by the decision to confer the title of Hero of Ukraine posthumously to nationalist leader Stepan Bandera, with Chief Rabbi Moshe Reuven Asman of Ukraine and Kyiv saying he would give up his Order of Merit in protest.

"The chief rabbi has asked our lawyers to find out how the order could be returned from a legal point of view," Asman's aide David Milman told Interfax on Feb. 2, 2010.

"This position is shared by the entire Jewish community. Everyone is outraged. [Outgoing President] Viktor Yuschenko could not venture this step as long as he was hoping to remain president," he said.

"This award is a call for war, as war was Bandera's credo," Milman said.

Yushchenko conferred the title of Hero of Ukraine, one of the country's highest honors, to Bandera on Jan. 22, 2010 which marks the Day of Unity. This title had earlier been conferred on Commander of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army Roman Shukhevych.

Asman was elected Ukraine's chief rabbi at a meeting of the Jewish communities on Sept. 11, 2005.

COMMENTS (selected):

EyeSore, Guest | Today at 19:00

Ukraine's Jewish leaders must face up to their responsibility to examine their own historical past instead of casting aspersions on the Ukrainian people. Consider what Sir Winston Churchill wrote in 1920, under the alarming header "Terrorist Jews":

"There is no need to exaggerate the part played in the creation of Bolshevism and the actual bringing about of the Russian Revolution by these international and for the most part atheistical Jews. It is certainly a very great one; it probably outweighs all others. With the notable exception of Lenin, the majority of the leading figures are Jews. Moreover, the principal inspiration and driving power comes from the Jewish leaders.

not their fault, Guest | Today at 19:29

Anti-Semitism if defined as "hatred of Jews simply because they are Jews and for no other reason" is a disease that needs psychotherapy to cure. However this disease has a low true incidence despite its political and polemic misuse. Very few people are actually anti-Semites (including Arabs who are also "Semites" despite "politically correct" attempts to legislate "hate laws" so as to bring criminal charges of "anti-Semitism" against ANYONE {including "Semites"} who dare to question or criticize the misdeeds of Zionists or other Jews).

It truly is as Joe Sobran states : anti-Semites used to be people who hated Jews; Today anti-Semites are those who ARE hated by the Jews! Valid criticism of some Jews for their actions or inactions is NOT anti-Semitism.
Malcolm Muggeridge, a journalist who witnessed the Holodomor, documents that there were three censors of the Holodomor, all Jews: Podolski,Nehman and Ehrens-see page 223 of his autobiography "Chronicles of Wasted Time:The Green Stick". He rightly concludes that the fact that they were all Jews "had no particular significance" as they all perished in the subsequent "Great Terror"as did their non-Jewish Communists colleagues.

Caution: there are MANY non Ukrainians posing as Ukrainians behind the most blatant and attention grabbing hateful acts

Guest, Guest | Today at 18:31

Before criticizing Yushchenko's rightful decision to honor Bandera, perhaps the Jewish community should stop listening to Soviet Russian communist propaganda and learn about what Bandera really did do and against whom he fought, both Soviet Russians and German Nazis, and why most Ukrainians consider him the Hero that he was. It is a shame that so many Jews almost always listen to Ukraine's enemies rather than to the Ukrainian people and unbiased truth and reason.

Guest, Guest | Today at 18:37

Why is the West not interested in Ukraine in general? Perhaps they have an inferiority complex. Ukraine has defended Europe for over a thousand years, first from the Mongols and Pechenegs and then from the Tatars and Turks and then helped to bring down the Evil Empire by voting to get out of the Soviet Union in 1991. Then Ukraine got rid of its nuclear weapons and to what end? Did Ukraine get any recognition and real security guarantees? George Bush tried very hard to get Ukraine into the West's security alliance NATO, but Germany and France nixed that, why??? Seems that the Germans never tire of stabbing Ukraine in the back.

perhaps..., Guest | Today at 19:15

perhaps Germany is under OCCUPATION with foreign Army to protect it from nonexistent USSR evil Russia even though Putin does NOT want to attack Germany? perhaps Germant has Many Political prisoners who merely question official propaganda history? perhaps....

Matei, Guest | Today at 17:55

BANDERA WASN'T A NAZI YOU FOOLS, READ YOUR HISTORY BOOKS AND DON'T BUY INTO ANTI-UKRAINIAN PROPAGANDA!

This is disgusting

Guest, Guest | Today at 17:06

You nationalists are your own worst enemy. You would cut off your nose to spite your face. Why is that at the rest of the world recognizes the crimes of the Nazi's, yet they remain your heroes? If it is not the Jews, it is the Russians, immigrants, anyone with dark skin and anyone who does not fit into your ideal of what is acceptable? Get a life, and a real paying job while your at it!!

Guest, Guest | Today at 18:44

Why is it the the Jews almost never consider that so many of them were in the soviet KGB and persecuted not only non-Russian nationalists, but also religious Jews? Bandera fought against the Nazi and yet the Jews attack him for being one. What kind of logic is that? Maybe the Jews should start to attack former Soviets, including Jews like Kaganovich, who committed mass murder against Ukrainians.