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Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko (AP)
Last update - 00:00 29/10/2007
Ukraine to ask Israel: Recognize 1930s famine as state genocide
By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Ukraine, Israel, famine 

Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko is expected to ask Israel to recognize the genocide of the Ukrainian people in the 1930s by their communist government when he visits here in about two weeks, sources said. Israel is not expected to accede to the request, which has won the support of Jewish community leaders in Ukraine, so as not to damage its relationship with Vladimir Putin's government at a sensitive time.

Millions of Ukrainians died of hunger from 1931 to 1932 following the collectivization of farming in the Soviet Union by Joseph Stalin. Famine was particularly severe in Ukraine, which was a regional breadbasket and was strongly opposed to the move. At the same time the communist government attempted to wipe out Ukrainian intelligentsia and nationalists, with estimations of the number of victims ranging from a million and a half to 10 million.

A number of countries, including the United States, have recognized these acts as genocide, however, Russia vigorously rejects this definition, prefering to use the term "tragedy."
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Members of the Jewish community in Ukraine say Yushchenko also intends to present a proposal in the parliament in Kiev to recognize the suffering of the Jewish people in the Holocaust and the suffering of the Ukrainian people.

The chairman of the General Council of Jewish organizations, Joseph Zisels, who met with Yushchenko last Monday, said Sunday: "Israelis understand more than anyone what genocide is and Yushchenko therefore expects that Israelis will also recognize the Ukrainian genocide. We don't think it is the same as the Holocaust, but it is also a terrible tragedy with seven or eight million murdered."

Last week Yushchenko signed a presidential order to return to the Jewish community 700 Torah scrolls that were confiscated from the community by the communists. The move is believed to be an attempt to soften up Jewish and Israeli public opinion ahead of his visit. He is expected to bring some of the scrolls to the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem during his visit.

An attempt to organize a visit by Yushchenko to Israel was made about six months ago by Rabbi Moshe Azman, Ukraine's Chabad rabbi, and Mordechai Tzivin, an Israeli attorney active in international Jewish causes. But Israeli government officials postponed the visit, among other reasons because Yushchenko wanted to be in Israel on Holocaust Day and to participate in a ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.
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  1.   Everyone knows it was genocide 01:33  |  bob 29/10/07
  2.   Ukraine 01:53  |  Philippe 29/10/07
  3.   GENOCIDE BECOMING MORE AND MORE POPULAR UNTIL IT LOSES ITS UNIQUE 02:33  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 29/10/07
  4.   Stop trying to paint Israel into a corner 02:33  |  Avrum 29/10/07
  5.   GENOCIDE??? 02:44  |  JOJO 29/10/07
  6.   Call it what it is 02:54  |  Fred Bainhauer 29/10/07
  7.   blackmail 02:57  |  mike 29/10/07
  8.   irish famine 03:23  |  bri 29/10/07
  9.   Bohdan Chmielnicki 03:28  |  D.R. Zukerman 29/10/07
  10.   The Yuppie Curse - or why Liberals fail 03:46  |  Mark Lincoln 29/10/07
  11.   everyone using Israel 03:50  |  Yoshi 29/10/07
  12.   Why liberals fail 03:51  |  Mark Lincoln 29/10/07
  13.   Ukrainian Genocide 03:54  |  Garry 29/10/07
  14.   Why should post Communist Russia be upset? 04:02  |  Mike 29/10/07
  15.   Enough of immoral political scruples by Israel. 04:20  |  Fortuna Benmayor 29/10/07
  16.   Famine 05:19  |  George Jochnowitz 29/10/07
  17.   # 2 and #3 You get my full support on that issue. 05:54  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 29/10/07
  18.   Quassams in Ukraine 06:38  |  Omran 29/10/07
  19.   to #2 and #3 06:41  |  Susan 29/10/07
  20.   Tragedy? 06:42  |  Tilford Bartman 29/10/07
  21.   call it what it is 06:42  |  Josif 29/10/07
  22.   Genocide 06:51  |  Susan 29/10/07
  23.   Ukraine to Israel: Recognize 1930s famine as genocide 06:58  |  CANADA 29/10/07
  24.   Genocide 07:02  |  The truth 29/10/07
  25.   Armenians, Ukranians, Turks, White Europeans 07:02  |  Jewish Investigator 29/10/07
  26.   Ukrainian Genocide 07:12  |  John 29/10/07
  27.   Gencodie in Gaza underway 07:23  |  East European 29/10/07
  28.   To Josif 11 07:45  |  Castor Troy 29/10/07
  29.   to Josif 07:49  |  Susan 29/10/07
  30.   #12 Thank you, Susan for your speaking out
  32.   Jews and communism 08:00  |  Susan 29/10/07
  33.   Ask Yushenko about the MAUP 08:00  |  Motke Chabad 29/10/07
  34.   Some Ukrainians Blame Jews for the Genocide 08:06  |  Semsem 29/10/07
  35.   Ukrainians Slaughtered Jews. Guards in Camps were Ukrainian 08:08  |  Laila 29/10/07
  36.   #12 Thank you, Susan, for speaking out 08:08  |  hala 29/10/07
  37.   Genocide Yes! Holocaust No! 08:49  |  Yosemite 29/10/07
  38.   It WAS genocide 09:04  |  JS 29/10/07
  39.   Omrom hysterical 09:15  |  little Israel 29/10/07
  40.   Stalin Jewish? Ha, ha, ha. 09:22  |  Uri 29/10/07
  41.   Josif 09:24  |  Jew, of course 29/10/07
  42.   It was a genocide 09:24  |  Shlomo 29/10/07
  43.   WE ARE VERY SORRY THAT THE SURVIVORS SLUGHTERED JEWISH NEIGHBOURS 09:46  |  AL TZVEISTEIN 29/10/07
  44.   To Yosemity 09:47  |  Uri 29/10/07
  45.   Again Jews leave the Ukraine,no good can come of this 09:59  |  PETER S.M. 29/10/07
  46.   EAST EUROPEAN Show us ALL the photos of starving Gazans? 10:04  |  PETER S.M. 29/10/07
  47.   STALIN started out as a trainee Gregorian monk. 10:06  |  PETER SM 29/10/07
  48.   Churchill: Jewish Revolution 1917 10:14  |  bronstein 29/10/07
  49.   Max Zinger 10:20  |  Walid 29/10/07
  50.   #27 East European 10:30  |  Former East European 29/10/07
  51.   Max Zinger Part II 10:42  |  Walid 29/10/07
  52.   Walid #49 - Haaretz! How come you publish such thing? 11:22  |  S 29/10/07
  53.   jojo 11:34  |  sweis Melbourne 29/10/07
  54.   they had a choice 11:37  |  sweis Melbourne 29/10/07
  55.   S 11:46  |  Walid 29/10/07
  56.   Walid: I didn`t talk to you but to Haaretz who - contd. 12:25  |  S 29/10/07
  57.   Nazi genocide was not restricted to Jews 12:56  |  Hannah 29/10/07
  58.   To Yosemite 13:06  |  Linguist 29/10/07
  59.   I don`t like all this recognizing of genocides 13:14  |  Edith 29/10/07
  60.   They forget what lead to communism 13:38  |  Edith 29/10/07
  61.   to Al #43 13:40  |  Susan 29/10/07
  62.   The famine of 1930s is not genocide 13:55  |  NB 29/10/07
  63.   peter sm 47 13:59  |  realism 29/10/07
  64.   The "Great Leap Forward" which also created millions of deaths??? 14:01  |  r 29/10/07
  65.   laila 35 14:06  |  realism 29/10/07
  66.   sweis melborne 54 14:10  |  realism 29/10/07
  67.   to # 49 Walid - I 14:27  |  NB 29/10/07
  68.   Israel only cares about JEWS 14:28  |  POP 29/10/07
  69.   to # 49 Walid - II 14:28  |  NB 29/10/07
  70.   realism 14:43  |  sweis Melbourne 29/10/07
  71.   Josif #21 is a liar 14:53  |  Murray of Montreal 29/10/07
  72.   I think it was indeed crime of regime but not a genocide 14:54  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 29/10/07
  73.   Will Mugabee soon be compared to Stalin 14:56  |  Avrum 29/10/07
  74.   @69, NB, jews are getting 38% of nobel prises lately, not 20% 15:10  |  vladimir 29/10/07
  75.   THIS IS BAD HISTORY 15:34  |  Ian 29/10/07
  76.   To Edith 15:48  |  Maral 29/10/07
  77.   To Edith, who likes exclusive pain 15:53  |  Maral 29/10/07
  78.   So My Uncle Was No Linguist 16:02  |  Yosemite 29/10/07
  79.   Voice of Moshiach you are too funny! 16:04  |  Laughing 29/10/07
  80.   Stalin`s followers at Oxford and Cambridge remained silent BOB 16:15  |  israelit 29/10/07
  81.   how about Native Americans? How about Aztecs? 16:23  |  TAZ 29/10/07
  82.   To Edith 16:31  |  Maral 29/10/07
  83.   To All the Genocide Deniers 16:33  |  Klaudia 29/10/07
  84.   Genodice DAYS 17:04  |  Atilla 29/10/07
  85.   Edith - How sad you are 17:13  |  Man 29/10/07
  86.   What is the downside? 17:22  |  dan 29/10/07
  87.   Ukrainians were killed in large numbers, but .. 17:34  |  Steve 29/10/07
  88.   NB #67 & #69 17:39  |  Axel 29/10/07
  89.   TAZ #82 She`s a man. Don`t! 17:41  |  S 29/10/07
  90.   Lets look at today, yesterday had its own reasons ! 17:43  |  Atilla 29/10/07
  91.   Banderovci 17:47  |  igco 29/10/07
  92.   Famine was not the cause 17:58  |  B 29/10/07
  93.   Infinite number of Genocides 18:01  |  igco 29/10/07
  94.   #48 18:04  |  B 29/10/07
  95.   Attila 18:13  |  Axel 29/10/07
  96.   40 Uri - Stalin, Dzhugashvili & names. 18:23  |  curious 29/10/07
  97.   The boomerang effect 18:47  |  Mark B. 29/10/07
  98.   MARK LINCOLN Congratulation 18:54  |  JOJO 29/10/07
  99.   Ukraine 19:06  |  David 29/10/07
  100.   to #87 19:07  |  Susan 29/10/07
  101.   to #59 Edith 19:10  |  Susan 29/10/07
  102.   The has never been holocausts, just tough love 19:11  |  Romantic Lover 29/10/07
  103.   FORTUNA 315 19:12  |  JOJO 29/10/07
  104.   BROWSTEIN= TROCKI 19:30  |  JOJO 29/10/07
  105.   # 18 Omran with a moronic comparison of death 19:37  |  Haham me Bat Yam 29/10/07
  106.   sixty-six million is a genocide 20:10  |  Leon 29/10/07
  107.   #76 & 77 & 85: thank you very much 21:05  |  Edith 29/10/07
  108.   REALISM The context of my post on Stalin was a reply 21:17  |  PETER S.M. 29/10/07
  109.   #96 curious - I`m afraid not 21:26  |  Uri 29/10/07
  110.   Israel never discovered universality 21:51  |  Tim 29/10/07
  111.   Ukraine`s Communist Holocaust 22:54  |  Alan Jay Gerber 29/10/07
  112.   to #88 axel 23:09  |  NB 29/10/07
  113.   Alan Jay Gerber 23:43  |  NYC Jew 29/10/07
  114.   NB #67Jewish intellectual overrepresentation 00:45  |  abd 30/10/07
  115.   S # 52 01:07  |  Philippe 30/10/07
  116.   TIM.The universality of the Pals.trying to finish Hitler`s job 01:09  |  PETER SM 30/10/07
  117.   Walid reads Jew Watch 01:11  |  Danite 30/10/07
  118.   Hannah # 57 01:14  |  Philippe 30/10/07
  119.   S Well said 01:21  |  Danite 30/10/07
  120.   peter sm 105 01:41  |  realism 30/10/07
  121.   definition of genocide 01:42  |  sweis Melbourne 30/10/07
  122.   Thank you JOJO # 103, you have a very good point. 01:44  |  Fortuna Benmayor 30/10/07
  123.   THERE Is no doubt Stalin was a ruthless mass muderer in Ukraine 02:12  |  PETER SM 30/10/07
  124.   whalid, you make a good point 02:18  |  natan 30/10/07
  125.   #18 03:06  |  Moshe 30/10/07
  126.   #12 Mark Lincoln. If Israel`s oppression is not genocide... 03:38  |  Maureen Ann 30/10/07
  127.   Ukraine 04:30  |  John A. Zaldivar 30/10/07
  128.   Churchill`s wisdom for Slowman 04:53  |  Anshel Pfeffer 30/10/07
  129.   10#Mark Lincoln. Are you familiar with something now ? 05:19  |  Akram Zekaria 30/10/07
  130.   #111 PeterSM. Remeber the Bolsheviks/Mensheviks? 05:29  |  Maureen Ann 30/10/07
  131.   When we say Genocide 06:57  |  Bruce 30/10/07
  132.   Here`s A Great Proposal 06:57  |  Yosemite 30/10/07
  133.   PETER SM #111 07:00  |  Bruce 30/10/07
  134.   # 49 Walid, Yezov was "blessed with a jewish 07:20  |  Haham me Bat Yam 30/10/07
  135.   MAUREEN N.Remember Stalin and what he did? 07:58  |  PETER SM 30/10/07
  136.   Tim - if so why then Shalom Achshav, why Bilin, why Btselem? 08:16  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 30/10/07
  137.   Natan 08:20  |  Walid 30/10/07
  138.   The Soviets were the Katyn murderers... 08:27  |  Uri 30/10/07
  139.   #121PeterSM. Who knows? 09:47  |  Maureen Ann 30/10/07
  140.   Haham me Bat Yam 12:30  |  Walid 30/10/07
  141.   No Margie, you don`t care..have some integrity 12:55  |  Tim 30/10/07
  142.   #37 Yosemite, "holocaus" is a Greek word 22:40  |  hala 30/10/07
  143.   to #114 abd 01:59  |  NB 31/10/07
  144.   to #114 abd 02:28  |  NB 31/10/07
  145.   Who cares about the Ukrainians 21:18  |  Yechiel 31/10/07
  146.   walid 21:55  |  sweis Melbourne 31/10/07
  147.   #145 Who cares about the Ukrainians, Yechiel? 23:39  |  Baal Dee 01/11/07
  148.   Dear Baal Dee 02:54  |  Yechiel 02/11/07
  149.   God and those who afflict his people 03:27  |  Baal Dee 03/11/07
  150.   To: Maureen Ann 01:56  |  Martin 06/11/07
  151.   Why did Jews CHOOSE E. Europe to live in? 03:31  |  Jacob 11/11/07
  152.   yechiel 148 22:47  |  realism 16/11/07
  153.   Ukrainian Genocide 09:38  |  Yar 05/06/08
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