Last Sunday night, an unidentified group of vandals painted a swastika graffiti on the monument honoring the father of Jewish literature, Sholom Aleichem, according to a report posted by Chief Rabbi of Ukraine and Kiev, Moshe Reuven Asman, on his Facebook page.

This is yet another case of anti-Semitism in Ukraine in the past several weeks. In September, for instance, unidentified criminals desecrated a monument dedicated to the Jews who perished in a massacre in Bogdanoka village in Nikolayev region at the very site of this tragic event. The attackers covered the monument with a swastika and left a note with threats to President Vladimir Zelensky, former transportation minister, Yevgeny Chervonenko, and head of Ukrainian Jewish Committee, Eduard Dolinsky.

CEO of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), Haim Ben-Yakov, addressed Ukrainian government, “To our great dismay, recently we have been witnessing an increasing number of anti-Semitic incidents all across Ukraine. The country’s law enforcement agencies must do everything possible to find and prosecute the criminals. Desecration of monuments is an alarming symptom of a troubling condition, which can develop into a more acute form. It is urgent that we act promptly and decisively in order to avert further escalation of anti-Semitic sentiment in the country.”

On November 27, Kiev will host the first Summit of Euro-Asian Jewry, bringing together for the first time hundreds of Jewish leaders from across the region.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Rabbi Asman’s Facebook page)