January 2014 Editor: Judy Patkin Assisting Jews in the former since

Published by POOR UKRAINIAN ECONOMY Action for Post-Soviet RESULTS IN MORE JEWISH EMIGRATION Jewry (781)893-2331 FAX: (781)647-9474 government has no money. “We’re E-Mail: like Greece!” Retirement age for men ActionPSJ is now 65 and they want to change @aol.com that to age 67. Women retire at age Website: 60. Women used to retire at age 50 ActionPSJ.org and men at age 60, so these are huge changes. Member: Union of Councils for There are around 3,000 Jews in Jews in the Melitopol out of a total population of Former Soviet 168,000. There has been no increase Union (UCSJ) in the total population for the last seven years, which is unusual for Left to right: Elena Proskurnya (head of Chesed) cities. The oldest gravestones in the with Tanya Sidelkovskaya (head of Adopt-a-Bubbe Jewish cemetery date to 1716. Want to travel in ) in front of Chesed building, Melitopol with our staff The Chesed center we were in was to Ukraine or Although there are no official figures, built in 1790 and was originally a ? unemployment is high in Melitopol, Ukraine. school for young children. The small Factories close and lay off large numbers of building next door was the rabbi’s Want to visit workers. Small businesses close, too. Those home. There used to be two and talk with with salaries are taxed 45%, and the government synagogues. The remaining smaller members of wants to raise that to 50%. After graduation, one on the street is in very bad shape our Adopt-a- there are no jobs. As a result, young people and cannot be used. The larger one Bubbe leave for Israel. “These young people are our was destroyed in WWII. program? future and they are leaving.” In 1997 the building was given back Contact our to the Jewish community and Chesed office for Melitopol has no transportation system, so people take taxis. The Jewish community pays 600 hrv. (the American Jewish Joint details on up- Distribution Committee) repaired the coming trips or $75 per week to be able to request an unofficial taxi. building and re-opened it as a Jewish community center in 1998. Copies of our trip reports The minimum pension is 400 hrv./month or $50. are available Subsidies are supposed to bring pensions up to on our 1,000 hrv./month or $125, but the Website & at our office Poor Ukrainian Economy hurts Workers & Pensioners Page 1 Visits with Adopt-a-Bubbe Page 2 Update on Antisemitism Page 3 Holocaust Victim denied Compensation Page 4

1 POST-SOVIET JEWRY REPORT ADOPT-A-BUBBE VISITS IN 2013

Roza’s pension is 1,050 hrv. or $131/month. Her rent and utilities are subsidized at 200 hrv. or $25/ Below: Food Roza month. She also rents out a room to a 20-year-old received on our female student for 400 hrv. or $50/month, but has to visit with her keep quiet about this or she will lose her rent subsidy.

Roza is a Type II diabetic and also has hypertension. Medicine is paid for from her pension. A month ago, she had surgery to remove her gall bladder, and she is still recuperating. She is just now feeling better and ready to go outside.

Roza receives clothing, food and artificial sweetener Above, left to right: Faina Teplitskaya (Adopt-a- from Adopt-a-Bubbe. Today’s food package Bubbe coordinator in , Ukraine) with client contained chicken, fish, apples, cheese and a liter of Roza Klepach. Roza was born in Poltava on January cooking oil She is very grateful. 25, 1947. She was an only child and never married, so there are no relatives. She formerly worked in a factory on quality control.

Right: Zoya Avronova, born in 1948 in Poltava, Ukraine. Zoya lives with her disabled son, Maxim, born May 15, 1992. In the photo, she is showing us clothing and shoes received from Adopt-a-Bubbe for Maxim. She also receives food. Zoya used to teach Soviet history and studied English for three years, although she no longer speaks it, but understands.

Zoya does not know exactly what is wrong with Maxim, but he is obviously disabled. He was often ill as an infant and at age six couldn’t walk alone. He walks and talks strangely, but is quite likable. He cannot be left alone, either inside or out. He gets lost outside and gets into trouble in the apartment. He sees a neurologist and is on medication, but in 2012 he got into the supply, took too much and had to be hospitalized.

Because of the stress of taking care of Maxim, Zoya has heart trouble. She needs more tests done, but they cost too much. Her pension is 1,000 hrv. or $125/month. Maxim is considered Disabled 2nd Class and receives a pension of 900 hrv. or $113/ month. They have a subsidy for rent and utilities which is 362 hrv. or $45/month. Maxim’s meds cost 130 hrv. or $16/month.

Maxim went to a good school which used the Montessori method, and Zoya attended with him. He reads well, but is unable to do math or use a computer. He recited some poems for us and sang.

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UPDATE ON ANTISEMITISM

The following items are part of me. It turned antisemitic when they special envoy to monitor and combat e-mail messages received on discovered that my mother’s name is antisemitism, cancelled his attendance antisemitism in the FSU. Rosenberg.” The two policemen at a landmark conference in Kiev due demanded that he give them $10,000. to the U.S. government shutdown. They later took away his credit card and Forman was scheduled to be opening August 28, 2013; Derdent, : demanded the code, or otherwise, they speaker at the two-day According to Jewish staff for Alexei would search his apartment for cocaine. conference marking the 100th Navalny who campaigned for mayor Flekman was eventually released at anniversary of the Menachem Mendel of , he never made a night, collapsed on the street and was Beillis blood libel trial. statement praising the Holocaust. The taken to the hospital by passers by. statement was false and reportedly The Beillis trial was based on an anti- part of a smear campaign to damage October, 2013; Baku, Azerbaijan: semitic blood libel that czarist Russian Navalny’s image with liberal voters. An Iranian Citizen was sentenced to 15 authorities fabricated in Kiev. Beillis years in jail in Azerbaijan for planning was acquitted in 1913 of allegations September 29, 2013; Russia: an attack on the Israeli Embassy in that he murdered a Chrisitan to use his Sheriff Akhmedov, alleged shooter of Baku. Twenty-two people were arrested blood for worship. Beillis’ grandson, Rabbi Artur Ovadia Isakov in in Azerbaijan in March on suspicion of U.S. born Jay Beillis, attended the Dagestan, Russia, was killed in a raid planning to attack American, Israeli and conference. by Russian security forces. Jewish targets, including the U.S. and Akhmedov had been wanted since Israeli embassies, a Jewish Agency for Gideon Behar, Forman’s Israeli 2011 for alleged involvement in Israel facility and an American fast-food counterpart, told the conference that, bombings and attacks on police. He is restaurant. “Unfortunately, blood libels are still believed to be behind the July 24 around even 100 years after the trial of shooting of Isakov as he left his car In January, at least two men were Beillis, largely thanks to Iran’s efforts and headed into his home in Derbent. arrested after planning an attack on two to propagate them.” Rabbi Isakov was seriously wounded Israeli teachers and chabad emissaries at and is recuperating in Israel, but plans the Or Avner Jewish Day School, Baku. October 24, 2013; Balta, Ukraine: to return to Dagestan. The Jewish community of Balta in October 9, 2013; Yekaterinburg, Ukraine lost its bid to gain possession Last October, unknown assailants Russia: of a former synagogue. The 100 year- detonated a bomb in the interior yard Shots were fired at the Yekaterinburg old Savranskaya synagogue, now of Derbent’s main synagogue. No one synagogue, breaking windows, but no abandoned is owned by a was hurt. Some 2,000 Jews live one was injured. communications company Ukrtelecom. among a predominantly Muslim population in Dagestan. Yekaterinburg is Russia’s fourth largest city, and has a Jewish population of October, 2013; Medzhybizh, approximately 6,500, according to Ukraine: Michael Oshtrakh, chair of the Two hasidic men were beaten while Sverdlovsk Regional Society of Jewish on a pilgrimage to the birthplace of culture, Hatikva. Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, founder of the hasidic movement. The two October 15, 2013; Kiev, Ukraine: were chased by seven Ukrainians Ira Forman, the Obama administration’s screaming, “Jews stink!” before the beating.

October 1, 2013; , Ukraine: Officers & Board of Action for Post-Soviet Jewry 2013—2014 Investigators in Lviv are looking into claims that two policemen assaulted OFFICERS Susan Brown Robert Gordon President: Barbara Karchmer Carol Clingan and urinated on a Jewish businessman, Vice-President: Genya Doktor STAFF Dmitry Flekman, age 28, in a Lviv Carol Clingan Tatyana Goldwyn Executive Director police station. Police peed right at Treasurer: Barbara Anatolev Melinda Harrison Judy Patkin Secretary: Mila Bronstein Shirley Hurwitz Associate Director him saying, “Hitler did not like Jews Marina Javits Galina Zilberstein and neither do I.” Flekman claims he BOARD Barbara Karchmer Assistant was arrested on his way from a bank, Barbara Anatolev Boris Katz Zeya Krasko Zale Anis Robert Strassler then beaten and his tailbone fractured. Mila Bronstein “They picked on me because they Sergey Broude FOUNDING PRESIDENT thought they could get money from EMERITUS

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POST-SOVIET JEWRY REPORT

NOT ALL HOLOCAUST VICTIMS Donate to Action for RECEIVE COMPENSATION Post-Soviet Jewry

Enclosed is my tax-deductible donation as Raisa was born in 1937 and spent a year in allowed by law payable to Action for Post-Soviet Jewry the Melitopol ghetto with her mother. However, she only has one living witness, NAME______so receives no Claims Conference funds. This witness lives in Israel. Raisa showed ADDRESS______us an official letter, which verifies the time CITY______STATE_____ spent in the ghetto.

ZIP CODE ______Another woman who was in a concentration E-Mail ______camp and has a number tattooed on her arm,

Please charge my donation to: receives compensation every three months. [ ] VISA [ ] MasterCard As Raisa said, “I guess they couldn’t erase [ ] American Express [ ] Discover the tattoo!”

Acct#______

Exp. Date mm/yy______A portion of funding for We met Raisa Zeligman at Adopt-a-Bubbe is made possible Signature ______the Melitopol Chesed by the Combined Jewish center where she came for [ ] $1,000 [ ] $500 [ ] $100 [ ] $50 Philanthropies and the a Kabbalat Shabbat service Dnepropetrovsk Kehillah Project [ ] Other ______and a hot meal. of the JCRC of Greater Boston.

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