Chicago Action for Jews
in the former Soviet Union
Chicago Action is a grassroots, non-profit organization that has been an advocate for Jews in the Soviet Union since 1972. A member of the Union of Councils in Washington, D.C., Chicago Action is dedicated to Jewish identity building for youth and humanitarian aid for the elderly Jews in the third largest Jewish community in the world...more
YOU CAN HELP, YOU VOICE WILL COUNT. This text may be pasted into an e- mail and sent on to your Representatives and Senators. Click on the link below to find contact information specific to you. Be sure to sign your message.
I am writing to urge you to speak out against the injustices in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). During this winter season several human rights violations have gone unnoticed and unpunished by officials in Ukraine, Moldova, Russia and other countries in the FSU. As an American citizen, I value the freedoms that our country has given us and feel it is our obligation to act on behalf of those who do not have the same opportunity.
· Russia – On December 31, 2009, Russian citizens were detained after holding a rally on Triumfalnaya Ploschad in Moscow. Although Russian law grants the right to freedom of assembly, this is not the first time arrests have been made during a peaceful rally.
· Ukraine – Sergey Ratushniak, the mayor of Uzhgorod and presidential candidate of Ukraine, has referred to his opponent as an “impudent Jew” and suggested that a Jew would have no right to run for President. Despite charges of hooliganism, abuse of office and xenophobia in August of 2009, 27.6% of voters indicated they would still choose Ratushniak. Congressman Steve Israel (NY) sent a letter of concern to the United States Ambassador to Ukraine, John F. Tefft, stating that the Ukraine has a deep and complicated relationship with anti-Semitism, it is alarming to learn that Mr. Ratushniak has risen to national prominence.”
· Moldova - On December 13, 2009, over 200 fundamentalist Orthodox Christians dismantled a large metal Chanukah menorah in the capital of Moldova. The 15 to 20 police officials that were present did nothing. The Orthodox Church released a statement that placed blame on the Jewish community. “It was inappropriate to put a symbol of the Jewish cult in a public place…this unpleasant incident could have been avoided if the menorah had been placed near a memorial for victims of the Holocaust.” Prosecutors refuse to bring charges against the anti-Semitic mob.
Governments in the FSU are indifferent to and, in some cases, in violation of the laws of their own country. Please take action on behalf of the individuals who cannot by speaking out against these violations.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/index.htm
NEWS FLASHES
Photos above:
Youth in Krasnodar, Russia,
celebrating Hanukkah
Pesach in Yekaterinburg, Russia
Descreated monument in Smolensk, Russia: "Long live Russia" Zwastikas above and below.
Jewish woman in Klintsy, Russia