As the domestic political upheaval turned cold war era international crisis continues to grip Ukraine, reports of anti-Semitic incidents against the country’s small but growing Jewish community have been on the rise. Incidents included cases of assault and vandalism against shuls.

Just last Thursday, it was reported that Rabbi Hillel Cohen, the head of Ukraine’s Hatzalah, was physically attacked by an unknown group of seemingly Russian-speaking youths making him the third Jew to be assaulted since January. Towards the end of last February, vandals flung Molotov cocktails at the Giymat Rosa Synagogue in Zaporizhia in eastern Ukraine. While the attacks have been sporadic and have caused minimal damage, they have had the effect of generating concern and even fear amongst some Ukraine’s Jews.

As of now, it is still unclear which elements within Ukraine are responsible for the uptick in anti-Semitic violence. Many, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, believe the attacks to be a product of ultra-right-wing political groups instigated by the recent political upheavals. Others, including prominent members of the Ukrainian Jewish community, believe pro-Russian groups perpetrated the attacks in order to legitimize Russia’s recent political and military interferences in Ukraine.

(Noach B. Rosen – YWN)