Why Did Ukrainians Hate Jews

[Vlodko_D]

Hello,

Can anyone elaborate on this topic? Why did the Ukrainians hate the Jews so much? Although I've read some material, almost every historial documentary I've seen on television regarding WWII, state that the Ukrainians practised anti-sematism. Where did this hatred originate from?

....Vlodko D

[Hussar_]

it goes back long time since 1600 century when chelmincki slaugherd poles and polish jews...200.000 jews killed and thousands poles..cause many saw how poles invaited jews to be money lenders and tax colectors etc to get tax from ukes peasents...but not reason enough cause there where uke landowners also who where orthodox and also had biznes with jews...but i think theres other also explenation cause belarus didnt have same problem...ukes seems be very anti all none ukes..not saying all but in history...maybe also cause cossacks where serfs from poland,russia,ukraine etc many cossacks have beef with landowners from their homeland times..and ther jewish partners....but the polish peasents had same problem in poland with landowners and jews who made profits on it...and there no problem with jews like in ukraine there was 3,5 million jews in 1939 poland...most in world...after war only 0,5 million jews left in poland after germans exterminate..germany and ukraine had very anti jewish history..but also look at spain,france,england they kik out or kill almost all their jews in middleages...i think its they take personal bible and jesus killing..and maybe jealosy over bizneses..

[Boyko_Lowlander]

Starting in the thirteenth century, Danylo Romanovych invited Jews along with Poles, Germans, Armenians which settled mainly in the cities. dominated city life Starting in the sixteenth century, many, if not most Polish and Polinized Rus nobles allowed Jews to run their estates as leaseholders, since they would not bother. At least around the mid seventeenth century, Rus people felt threatened socially and economically. During Chmielmnicki's era, Maksym Kryvonis and Danylo Nechai led peasant masses and cossacks killing Poles, Uniate Rus, and Jews. I have not heard or seen the number 200,000, although Jewish chroniclers at the time give varying stats. Nathan Hanover claimed to be between 60,000-80,000 while Sabbatai Cohen placed it at 100,000. They state around 300 communities to 670,000 houses were destroyed. Most modern scholars see these figures as being highly exaggerated. Israeli scholars Shmuel Ettinger and Bernard D. Weinryb claim the annihilation of tems of thousands of Jews. Historian Jaroslaw Pelenski, a Ukrainian-American, places the number between 6,000-14,000.

Other massacres, aside from WWI and II, had Jews (and Poles) killed in the Haidamak rebellion in 1768 Uman. Pogroms between 1881-1883. There was a rumor that Jews assassinated Tsar Alexander II. Russian revolutionary groups at first supported pogroms including Narodnaia Volia(People's Will), which was the culprit in killing him. 1903-1906 saw killing of 800 Jews in over 600 towns and villages in modern-central Ukraine and Bessarabia(Moldavia). The press and the monarchist organization - Black Hundreds stirred the population and blamed revolutionary activity on Jews. Since many Christians bleieved that Jews needed human blood for rituals, the Black Hundreds prompted the arrest in Kiev of Menahem Beilis in 1911, who was accused of murdering a 12 year old Christian boy. He was eventually found innocent by a Ukrainian jury.

[Volodya987]

These things go back thousands of years.
However, it's a good thing that only now exists.

[Volodya987]

Years ago, I read in one of those books about ancient EhePt, that Dnipro was regarded as "the sister river" of the Nile. R(a), then H(a) and now S(a).
The Old Angry Liar, with his latest 'sharp points device'
in one hand and his 'book' in the other, is still with us.

[Volodia_D]

First, to say ⌠Ukrainians hate the Jews so much■ is both wrong and offensive. I know of very few sources that authoritatively establish that all, most, a significant minority or just the usual bunch of useful idiots in Ukraine are anti-Semitic, either today or historically. However, one recent text, while not perfect, is highly recommended and should be read by all those interested in Ukrainian history. Prof. Henry Abramson in his book ⌠A Prayer for the Government: Ukrainians and Jews in Revolutionary Times, 1917-1920■ (Harvard, 1999) makes a distinction between the premodern era in Ukraine and that of the post-revolutionary periods. [⌠..the essence of the Ukrainian (sic) grievance against Jews in the premodern era is based in their economic relationship ┘ many Jews were active participants in the Polish policy of exploiting Ukrainians ┘ attacks on Jews during the Khmel▓nyts▓kyi rebellion and during Gonta▓s uprising of the next century must be seen as essentially anti-Polish and anti-Catholic uprisings. These massacres of Jews, while horrific, were epiphenomenal to the central aspects of the conflict. ┘ Medieval antisemitism in Ukraine was primarily confined to the religious arena, an elevated theological dispute with rare outbursts of communal violence.■ page 32]. But even when the conflict does become more significant in scale and type after 1917, it is clear that many ⌠Ukrainians■ fought very hard with and for ⌠Jews■ during many key periods before, during and after the revolutions.

Anti-Semitism is and has been a problem in many parts of the world, including North America, Europe and yes, Ukraine. This perspective is important not to minimise the extent and depth of evil but in order to battle another manifestation of evil injustice. To say ⌠Ukrainians hate Jews so much■ is just as inaccurate, misleading and hateful as it would be to say ⌠Jews hate Ukrainians so much."

[Zbyszek]

Originally posted by Volodia_D
[⌠..the essence of the Ukrainian (sic) grievance against Jews in the premodern era is based in their economic relationship ┘ many Jews were active participants in the Polish policy of exploiting Ukrainians ┘ attacks on Jews during the Khmel▓nyts▓kyi rebellion and during Gonta▓s uprising of the next century must be seen as essentially anti-Polish and anti-Catholic uprisings. These massacres of Jews, while horrific, were epiphenomenal to the central aspects of the conflict.

Volodia, there was an extensive discussion in this forum concerning history of Polish-Ukrainian relations. I would not like to repeat myself. Once more, I would like to point out that during the time of Khmyelnicki's rebellion there were no "Ukrainians" and no "Poles in modern sense of this word. A term "Ruthenians" was almost equal to Orthodox believers while Poles were widely portrayed as Catholics in spite of the fact that many noble citizens of Rzeczpospolita, including the Seym (parliament) members, were Calvinists or Lutherans. What is interesting, the economic oppression of Ukrainine's inhabitants was not widely followed by cultural or national oppression.
Hatred is a feeling which is instinctive, and it often happened in Ukrainian history that primitive leaders without deeper political insight developed their short-term programs exploiting emotions of turbulent populace. Gonta's butchery wave can be a good example. Many Cossack leaders were not exception to this rule.