World Jewish News

Odessa today. Head Rabbi Abraham Wolf and UNSO Commander Valeriy Zagorodniy painting over anti-Semitic slogans together. Photo from: facebook.com/arthur.welf

“Right Sector” Comes to Synagogue; Will Help Restore Vandalized Fence

A representative of the leadership of the “Right Sector” went to Odessa from Kyiv immediately after unknown vandals drew swastikas and wrote “Death to the Kikes” on dozens of Odessa homes on the night of April 8. The memorial at Tolbukhin square to Jews who were murdered has also been vandalized with swastikas. Additionally, the Jewish plot at the Tairovskoye cemetery was vandalized by similar signs and symbols. Vandals wrote “Right Sector” and “Glory to Ukraine” on the fence of the cemetery.

It is likely that this is what pushed “The Right Sector” to act so quickly and to send a high-ranking member to Odessa. The representative of the “Right Sector” who came to the synagogue told Abraham Wolf, the Head Rabbi of Odessa and the South of Ukraine, that his organization had nothing to do with the vandalism and condemns it.

Moreover, the representative of the Maidan-formed group of Ukrainian nationalists, stressed that it is now a matter of honor for them to find and punish the desecrators of the Jewish cemetery. The representative offered help in guarding the Jewish sites of Odessa.

Rabbi Abraham Wold said to the “Forum Daily” new portal that he believes the acts of vandalism to be a deliberate provocation of pro-Russian forces, who are trying to involve the Jewish in the conflict, despite the neutrality of the Jewish community. According to the spiritual leader of the Jewish community of Odessa, “these are the same forces who are behind the disturbances in Odessa, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Lugansk.”

The Odessa rabbi also said that on the morning of April 10 they will paint over the insulting writings on the fence of the Jewish cemetery together with the representative of the “Right Sector.”