Blog 10: Leaflet tells Jews to register in East Ukraine

Summary:

East Ukraine and Russia have fallen under global scrutiny in their recent political activities, but yet another event has thrown them in the public eye.  World leaders and many Jewish groups and people are concerned with a leaflet passed out to people as they left a Passover ceremony in Donetsk.  As the people emerged from the synagogue, they were given a leaflet that required them to provide a list of the property they owned and register as Jewish or their citizenship would be revoked.  The incident has even drawn the attention of Secretary of State John Kerry, who called the leaflets “unacceptable” and “grotesque”.  Pushilin, the leader of the pro-Russian movement in Donetsk, whose name was attributed to the leaflet, denies any connection to the leaflet.  The leaflet describes documents needed to register, or states the people’s citizenship would be revoked and they would be forced outside the country.  Many of the Jewish citizens of the Ukraine are startled by the leaflet, official or not, that brings back memories of World War II era Germany.  The Jewish community has stated that they do not plan to comply to the letter.  Many people globally are questioning its validity or who is actually behind the distribution of the leaflet. 

Analysis:

One of the more fascinating effects of global historical events such as World War II is the ramifications it has on the socialization of generations after.  Everyone since the Holocaust has been raised knowing what Anti-Semitism is.  The world has grown sensitive to issues of discrimination against the Jewish people, and tends to rise up against mass anti-Semitism such as is observed in this article.  The fact that people of any religion could be singled out for what they believe highlights the sociological issue of the boundaries of government and a person’s personal belief system.  Since religion and government both play such a big role in the way people are socialized, when these forces are at direct odds with each other, they create a tension within the people themselves and the communities affected.  It will be interesting to see how this story develops further and affects the other tensions in the Ukraine and Russia.  

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/17/jews-ordered-to-register-in-east-ukraine/7816951/