CEO of the American Jewish Committee David Harris spoke about the role of North American Jews in the contemporary history of Ukraine at the Kyiv Jewish Forum 2020.
The US Jewish community greatly influenced the diplomatic recognition of the independence of Ukraine by the White House, Harris affirms.
“I am a long-time friend of Ukraine. My mother was born in the Soviet Union. I know something about the experience of communism, the life of Jews under communism, the tragedy that befell Ukraine, including the Holodomor. I also know something about rebirth and redemption. I was very pleased on behalf of the American Jewish Committee to write the letter to the President George H. W. Bush in 1991 urging him to recognize the rebirth of the Ukrainian independence, when he was the American leader. He was reluctant to do so, fearing that it might somehow disrupt relations with President Gorbachev. Of course, the United States did extend the diplomatic recognition,” he noted.
The American Jewish Committee was also instrumental in creating a positive image of Ukraine in the eyes of Western leaders after the Revolution of Dignity, Harris said.
“Let’s fast forward a few years when the Maidan revolution occurred in Kyiv. The American Jewish Committee was the first Jewish organization in the world to stand with the people on the Maidan. We authored a letter to President Obama in which we urged the President to reconsider his reluctance to supply Ukraine with defensive weapons. That letter was eventually signed by 13 organizations here in the United States, Ukrainian-American organizations, Baltic-American organizations, and other human rights organizations. Unfortunately, the Obama administration did not listen to our request and did not provide that assistance. Subsequently, of course, the assistance came with the following administration, but my point is that we have long been friends of Ukraine,” Harris said.
As a reminder, earlier the President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine Boris Lozhkin mentioned in his opening speech at the Kyiv Jewish Forum 2020 the revival of the Jewish community in Ukraine.