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Last update - 00:00 02/09/2008
Jewish prayer books, bibles trashed by Ukrainian customs
By Moti Katz, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Jewish World, Ukraine 

Ukraine's Jewish community is in an uproar over the news that the country's customs service recently destroyed 173 Jewish prayer books and bibles that had been sent from Russia for the use of the Jewish community in Sumy.

The Ukrainian paper Fakty reported this week that a Russian courier had brought the religious books to the Ukrainian border, but discovered that he lacked enough money to pay customs. The books were therefore left at the Sumy customs office until the duty was paid.

Later, however, the courier informed the office that he was abandoning the books. The customs service tried to sell them, but managed to sell only one.
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At that point, the service's executive committee decided to give the books to the Ukrainian Jewish community. However, for reasons that remain unclear, someone in the Sumy customs office decided instead to destroy them.

Rabbi Yechiel Levitansky, the rabbi of the Sumy Jewish community, denounced the decision, saying his congregation needed the shipment badly, because it currently did not have enough prayer books to go around.

"On Shabbat, around 40 people come to the synagogue to pray," he said. "And because there are not enough prayer books, the worshipers must share. We waited a long time to receive the books - prayer books are generally printed in Moscow - and now we'll have to wait again until we get new books."

Following a complaint on the matter to the European Parliament, Ukrainian prosecutors began investigating the matter, and they confirmed that the books were indeed destroyed by the Sumy customs office.

Alex Tenzer of the Pensioners party called the incident "grave," referring to it as part of of a series of anti-Semitic events there.

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      1.   We do not know how to pray 06:00  |  Shimon Cleopas 02/09/08
      2.   Ukrainian/Israeli Customs 06:28  |  Kalman 02/09/08
      3.   If it had beeen the Koran 07:50  |  Ofer 02/09/08
      4.   Disgraceful and insensitive behaviour 07:55  |  hala 02/09/08
      5.   I don`t think that Jews should have to pay customs duty 08:40  |  Natallie Durson 02/09/08
      6.   Why shouldn`t Jews pay customs duty???? 09:17  |  Goy 02/09/08
      7.   normal procedure 09:20  |  Sarah 02/09/08
      8.   NATALIE.Ever hear about sarcasm being the "lowest form of wit"?? 09:57  |  PETER SM 02/09/08
      9.   Jews never learn 11:00  |  short sighted 02/09/08
      10.   @6 "TRASHED" is the answer is it?Instead of public auction 11:13  |  PETER SM 02/09/08
      11.   "SARAH"is that a fact is it? 11:35  |  PETER SM 02/09/08
      12.   Why stay in such a barbaric country? 11:37  |  sWeis Melbourne 02/09/08
      13.   @7 Sara 11:48  |  Metz 02/09/08
      14.   Shimon Cleopas #1 The Lord`s Prayer 12:32  |  Fairman 02/09/08
      15.   #2 Kalman, the shameless liar and fake Jew 12:39  |  MR 02/09/08
      16.   ofer 12:47  |  murat 02/09/08
      17.   Irregular 12:56  |  Motic 02/09/08
      18.   KALMAN Patently lying.Olim can bring in vast amounts of possesion 13:09  |  PETER SM 02/09/08
      19.   What;s the problem... 13:33  |  Alan 02/09/08
      20.   Ukraine is a US ally and should be forgiven 15:04  |  isratinian 02/09/08
      21.   #15 & #18 18:57  |  Kalman 02/09/08
      22.   Chosen people 11:38  |  david 05/09/08
      23.   Make Aliya while you can - Ukraine has antisemitic history 07:04  |  Mark Leaman 18/05/09
      24.   Empires are reduced to specs 16:27  |  petra 18/05/09
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