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Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko (AP)
Last update - 07:30 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 07:57  |  hala 29/10/07
  31.   the great Russian ally 07:59  |  David 29/10/07
  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