New Cold War.org, Sept 8, 2015
Two news articles are enclosed.
Ukrainian nationalists destroyed a tent city erected by Hasidic Jews in Uman, Ukraine ahead of the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage
“On Shabbat, when they knew we wouldn’t be able to respond or activate the communication device, they simply knocked down the fence, pushed the light poles and security cameras and caused damage estimated at half a million dollars,” Eliezer Kirshboim, chairman and director of the Jewish association in Uman, told the Israeli daily Yediot Acharonot. “We are approaching the High Holidays, and this disrupts all our work arrangements.”
Police officers did not intervene to stop the attacks, the newspaper reported, citing witnesses.
Since the fall of communism, Uman has seen the arrival of thousands of pilgrims on the Jewish New Year who come to visit the grave site of the Breslover movement’s founder, Rabbi Nachman.
The pilgrimage has created frequent friction between the predominantly Israeli new arrivals and locals, many of whom resent the cordoning off by police of neighborhoods for the pilgrims.
Kirshboim said the current mayor of Uman was “appointed” by members of the nationalist Svoboda party following the revolution in Ukraine. “There is crazy state of anarchy here,” he said.
The right-wing activists were seeking to harass the Hasids in order to gain political points among the local public, Kirshboim asserted. “Whoever harasses the Hasidim more has a better chance of winning the elections in October,” he said.
Ukrainian nationalists destroyed a tent city erected by Hasidic Jews in Uman, ahead of the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage.
“On Shabbat, when they knew we wouldn’t be able to respond or activate the communication device, they simply knocked down the fence, pushed the light poles and security cameras and caused damage estimated at half a million dollars,” Eliezer Kirshboim, chairman and director of the Jewish association in Uman, told the Israeli daily Yediot Acharonot. “We are approaching the High Holidays, and this disrupts all our work arrangements.”
Police officers did not intervene to stop the attacks, the newspaper reported, citing witnesses.
Since the fall of communism, Uman has seen the arrival of thousands of pilgrims on the Jewish New Year who come to visit the grave site of the Breslover movement’s founder, Rabbi Nachman.
The pilgrimage has created frequent friction between the predominantly Israeli new arrivals and locals, many of whom resent the cordoning off by police of neighborhoods for the pilgrims.
Kirshboim said the current mayor of Uman was “appointed” by members of the nationalist Svoboda party following the revolution in Ukraine. “There is crazy state of anarchy here,” he said.
The right-wing activists were seeking to harass the Hasids in order to gain political points among the local public, Kirshboim asserted. “Whoever harasses the Hasidim more has a better chance of winning the elections in October,” he said.
Ukrainian nationalists storm Hasidic encampment
Far right-wing activists storm tent encampment of ultra-Orthodox visitors in Uman, Ukraine, causing damage estimated at half a million dollars. ‘They attacked on Shabbat because they knew we couldn’t respond,’ says Jewish association head.
By Edward Docks, YNet News.com, Sept 8, 2015
KIEV – Several dozen Ukrainian nationalists stormed a tent encampment of ultra-Orthodox visitors in Uman over the weekend, destroying equipment and dismantling parts of the fence surrounding it. A police force was dispatched to the area, but according to witnesses, the officers failed to intervene.
“On Shabbat, when they knew we wouldn’t be able to respond or activate the communication device, they simply knocked down the fence, pushed the light poles and security cameras and caused damage estimated at half a million dollars,” Eliezer Kirshboim, chairman and director of the Jewish association in Uman told Yedioth Ahronoth. “We are approaching the High Holidays, and this disrupts all our work arrangements.”
Although the information about the incident was transferred to the highest diplomatic ranks, no suspects have been arrested yet.
Kirshboim added that anti-Semitic right-wing activists were seeking to “harass the Jewish Hasidim” in order to gain political points among the local public. “Whoever harasses the Hasidim more has a better chance of winning the elections in October,” he said.
According to Kirshboim, the current mayor was “appointed” by members of the nationalist Svoboda party following the revolution in Ukraine. “There is crazy state of anarchy here,” he said. “All they want is a bribe and to prove that they are harassing Hasidim.”
The Hasidim say that although they recently invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the city’s development, the authorities are still hostile towards them. “We are under the impression that their goal is that the Hasidim won’t come to Ukraine at all,” Kirshboim said.
Attorney Genadi Beloritski, who represents the Hasidim, explained that although they have made a great contribution to the city’s development, the nationalistic groups have a lot of influence on the local authorities and continue to disrupt their activity in the area.
As an example, he pointed to the fact that the authorities have failed to grant the Hasidic tent encampment license, although the Hasidim own 70 percent of its area.
Read also:
Report in Ukrainian media, Vesti.com: http://vesti-ua.net/novosti/obschestvo/21421-v-umani-aktivisty-razrushili-lager-hasidov.html
