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Euroasian Jewish News
Visit of the Delegation of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ) to Ukraine on the 20-22 of May
26.05.2009
 On the 20-22 of May, the visit of the delegation of the American Jewish human rights advocate organization, Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia (NCSJ) to Ukraine took place. The leaders of the delegation were Richard Stone, Alexander Shmukler and Mark Levin.
In 2008, Mark Levin was awarded by the President of Ukraine with the “For Merits” decoration, for the significant help provided by the NCSJ in repealing the Jackson-Vanik Amendment for Ukraine.
On the 20th of May, the delegation met with a large group of leaders of the Jewish community of Ukraine. On the 21st of May, they met with the chairman of the SSU of Ukraine Valentine Nalyvaichenko, the Ambassadors of the USA and Israel – William Taylor and Zina Kalai-Kleitman. On the 22nd of May, the delegation met the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vladymir Handogiy, and Nikolai Tochitsky, head of the Department on International Affairs of the Presidential Secretariat in Ukraine.
 The delegation of the NCSJ was accompanied by the Chairman of the General Council of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Chairman of the Vaad of Ukraine Joseph Zisels, who led a briefing for the NCSJ delegation on the morning of the 21st of May.
Questions discussed by the NCSJ delegation during the meetings:
- the state of relations between Ukraine and America, and Ukraine and Israel;
- the Iranian atomic menace;
- Ukraine's attitude towards the so-called “Durban process”;
- Ukraine's movement into the EU and NATO;
- the restitution of Jewish communal property in Ukraine;
- manifestations of anti-Semitism and xenophobia in Ukraine, and counteraction against them by governmental institutions;
- problems that come up in attempts to restore the history of Ukraine, and the attitude towards them by various ethnic and social groups.
On photos: the delegation of the NCSJ in the SSU (above); the delegation of the NCSJ in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (below).
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