Jews ordered to register in Ukraine

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/17/jews-ordered-to-register-in-east-ukraine/7816951/

Now this here is some fucked-up shit.

The leaflets bore the name of Denis Pushilin, who identified himself as chairman of "Donetsk's temporary government," and were distributed near the Donetsk synagogue and other areas, according to the reports.

Pushilin acknowledged that flyers were distributed under his organization's name in Donetsk, but denied any connection to them, Ynet reported in Hebrew.

...

The leaflet then described which documents Jews should provide: "ID and passport are required to register your Jewish religion, religious documents of family members, as well as documents establishing the rights to all real estate property that belongs to you, including vehicles."

 

Stupid comment, I apologize...

 

Seriously?

Anyway, this is right in line with Russian history. They're stirring up images from days gone by of heroic Cossacks pureifying the land for Mother Russia so it was only a matter of time before some idiot decided harkening back to the time of pogroms was a good idea.

Pathetic.

 

Even without a good knowledge of the history, this should be pretty disturbing to anybody. No idea what the hell Mizzou was thinking with that response.

I had great grandparents who fled Russia and the Ukraine due to that history you are talking about. I hope people understand how dangerous this can turn out to be.

 

OR, it's possible that Pushilin is telling the truth. It's possible that a (very savvy) pro-Ukraine faction in Donetsk realized what a shitstorm this would cause, printed up a few flyers and then sat back and watched the results. It's even possible that this pro-Ukraine faction has been advised on this strategy by a "Western non-governmental organization" (cough, cough, CIA).

Look, the overthrow of Yanukovych has gone badly. The Ukrainian opposition bit off more than they could chew, and now they may lose the East because of it. What better way to swing indifferent world opinion by raising fears (many legitimate) of anti-semitism?.

 

As I said, it's a matter of how dangerous it can be. Given the history, you don't just assume it's going to be just fine.

 

That was my first, possibly naive, sentiment. That has to be opposition work trying to make them look bad. But again, maybe I'm naive.

 

And I may be too far the other way. I grew up with stories about pogroms, about my great-grandmother and her family having to leave everything behind when they escaped to the United States. My own family history certainly colors my perceptions here, but it also allows me to have more awareness of what something like this can lead to.

 

1900 is not 2014.

[/dick_whitman_crossthread]

 

No, it is not, but people are no better now than they were then.

 

Rather than say anti-Semitism is on the rise in Eastern Europe, I'd say it's on the rise across the globe.