a nation that barely acknowledges its part in Hitler's
final solution.
... [J]ust about every day of the week, the sounds of
freedom can be heard, men and women giving voice to
their particular view of how the new independent
Ukraine should be governed. They disagree about
plenty, but do have two things in common: their old
enemy, Russian communism, and their old, old enemy,
the Jews.
Unidentified Man # 1: (Through Translator) We Ukrain
ians not have to rely on American [sic] and kikes.
SAFER: Yacoov [sic] Bleich left the United States five
years ago to take over as the chief rabbi for the
Ukraine.
Rabbi YACOOV [sic] BLEICH: There is, obviously, a lot
of hatred in these people that are--that are expound
ing these things and saying, you know--obviously if
someone, you know, screams, "Let's drown the Rus
sians in Jewish blood," there isn't much love lost there.
...
SAFER: ... In western Ukraine at least, Hitler's dream
had been realized. It was juden-frei, free of Jews. In
the 50 years since, Jews have drifted in from other
parts of the old Soviet Union, about 7,000 now in
[Lviv]. For some Ukrainians, that's 7,000 too many.
Rabbi BLEICH: Yeah. Well, that's not a secret.
They're saying that they want the Jews out.
...
SAFER: The western Ukraine is fertile ground for
hatred. Independence only underlined its backward
ness: uneducated peasants, deeply superstitious, in
possession of this bizarre anomaly: nuclear weap
ons.... Western Ukraine also has a long, dark history
of blaming its poverty, its troubles, on others.
[Unidentified] Man # 2: (Through Translator) Kikes
have better chances here than even the original popu
lation.
SAFER: Than the Ukrainians.
Man # 2: (Through Translator) Yes.
...
SAFER: The church and government of Ukraine have
tried to ease people's fears, suggesting that things are
not as serious as they might appear; that Ukrainians,
despite the allegations, are not genetically anti-Semitic.
But to a Jew living here ... such statements are little
comfort....
Transcript, Joint Appendix at 92-96.
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