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Address of the President of Ukraine, His Excellency Petro Poroshenko, to the Knesset Plenum Jerusalem, 23 December 2015

(Addressed the Knesset in Ukrainian; the following is the official English translation from the Ukrainian delegation)

Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members of the Knesset, Ladies and Gentleman! Shalom!

It is a great honor to be invited to speak at the Knesset - the heart and intellectual center of Israel's democracy. I am sincerely grateful to Israel and personally to Speaker of the Knesset Mr. Yuli Edelstein for such an exceptional opportunity. I feel a special thrill in your Parliament – the place where Israel’s policy is born.

I visited your wonderful country on many occasions, but this is my first- ever state visit to Israel as President of Ukraine.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Both Ukraine and Israel are countries with deep historic roots. Israel is one of the oldest civilizations. The history of Ukraine spans more than a millennium. But, both are relatively young states on the modern political map.

The relations between Ukrainian and Jewish people enjoy a long-lasting and, no doubt, a special history.

Thousands of links have united and continue to unite our freedom-loving nations.

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Ukraine is one of the countries where Jews could live and survive many centuries of statelessness.

These are not just fine words. Here are a few facts.

In 1918 - 1921 Ukrainians made the first desperate attempt in 200 years to restore their statehood and proclaimed the Ukrainian People's Republic.

If you look at the young Ukrainian Republic banknotes you will see the words in the four most popular languages in Ukraine, including Yiddish. Perhaps, they were the first banknotes with Jewish letters in the millennium.

In real terms, this meant that Yiddish was one of the official languages in the young Ukrainian state and the Jewish people were directly involved in its foundation.

Moreover, the Jewish Affairs Ministry was created within the Government of Ukraine in the period of independence on the eve of the 20th century.

In our land, the religious life of the Jewish community was vibrant. Ukraine is the place where Hasidism came into being.

History knows no “ifs”, but I am convinced that on the verge of the 1910s and 1920s Ukraine, Europe and the world had a chance to go a different way and to avoid such tragedies like the Holocaust or the Holodomor.

That would have been the case if Ukrainian People’s Republic hadn’t collapsed under the onslaught of the Bolsheviks. However, even the Soviet Ukraine was able to play an important role in the restoration of the Jewish statehood. When in 1948 the Jewish nation eventually 3 succeeded in realizing its cherished dream, Ukraine, as one of the co- founders of the United Nations, was among the first to support Israel’s statehood.

Today we cannot but mention that a plethora of prominent Jewish political, cultural and religious leaders were of Ukrainian origin.

Ze’ev Jabotinsky - Jewish Zionist leader, author, poet, and soldier.

Yitzhak Ben-Zvi – the second President of Israel.

Levi Eshkol - the third Prime Minister.

Golda Meir - the fifth Prime Minister. This remarkable woman was born a few hundred meters from the place where the Office of the President of Ukraine is situated now.

Moshe Sharett - the first Israeli Foreign Minister.

Leon Pinsker, Sholom Aleichem, Haim Bialik, Shai Agnon and many others are the pride of Israel and the Jewish people. They are Ukraine’s pride too.

Nowadays a number of people with roots in Ukraine occupy the top positions in the State of Israel.

In this regard, I would like to mention a prominent Israeli politician, who is today among us - the Speaker of the Knesset, His Excellency Mr. Yuli Edelstein. You were born, dear Mr. Speaker, in the beautiful Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi, which has been, continues to be and, I assure you, will always be a unique symbol of Ukrainian-Jewish coexistence.

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Ukraine has always been proud of Ukrainian Jews and is grateful for their unceasing support of our state.

The talk about the Jewish contribution to the development of Ukrainian culture, science, economy and politics could last forever.

These are hundreds and hundreds of great names that are forever inscribed into the history of Ukraine – scientists and writers, composers and inventors, brilliant artisans and technologists.

Once I heard a departing passenger at the airport of Kiev asking jokingly: “Kiev-Tel-Aviv – is it international or domestic?” As you know there is only a grain of joke in every joke. Our two nations are indeed very connected.

Dear friends!

Ukrainians and Jews are also connected by unseen tragedies that they lived through. The Holocaust, the Holodomor, Stalin’s repressions and World War II, denationalization and linguicide in the USSR.

One of our joint unhealed wounds is Babi Yar in Kiev where German fascists executed over 100,000 innocent people. Their only fault was in being Jewish.

Next year we will commemorate the 75th anniversary of this horrendous tragedy. I tasked Ukrainian authorities to prepare commemoration events at the highest state level. We invite world leaders and representatives of the Jewish community to take part in these events. Certainly, I will be glad to welcome the leadership of Israel among the most eagerly expected guests.

Seventy-five years ago, tens of thousands of our Jewish compatriots were martyred in that huge ravine on the outskirts of Kiev. More than 5

1.5 million Ukrainian Jews were exterminated by German Nazis in the Holocaust years. We will remember forever countless episodes of solidarity of the Ukrainians with their Jewish neighbors. Yad Vashem, the Jewish people’s memorial to the Holocaust, has granted a high title of Righteous among the Nations to more than 2,500 Ukrainians. They are a genuine example of self-sacrifice, humanity and courage. They rescued the Jewish people since they could not do otherwise. Yet, they understood pretty well that they exposed their lives as well as the lives of their families to a real threat.

The Talmud reads: “Whoever destroys a soul, according to the Torah, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, according to the Torah, it is considered as if he saved an entire world”.

At the same time, we must also remember the tragic episodes of our history when collaborationists (which unfortunately were present in all European states occupied by the Nazi) helped in the “final settlement of the Jewish issue”.

As soon as an independent Ukraine emerged, its leaders apologized for the crimes that some Ukrainians had committed in the Holocaust years.

I definitely share the stance of Ukraine’s first President Leonid Kravchuk and I am doing this in the parliament of the Jewish State in front of the children and grandchildren of the victims of the Holocaust, people who survived this dreadful tragedy of the Jewish people, and in front of all citizens of this state.

Crimes of the collaborationists knock at your hearts but also at ours. We cannot allow them to be forgotten.

Ukrainian-Jewish consent was not in the plans of the Kremlin. However, while imprisoned in the slums of GULAG, Ukrainian and Jewish dissidents fought together for freedom and liberation from the Soviet 6 totalitarianism. There were good reasons why the Moscow propaganda blamed the Zionists and so-called Ukrainian bourgeois nationalists for secret cooperation aimed at the disruption of the USSR.

I will never forget a line from a book of Natan Sharansky, that in the Soviet prison a kippah for him was made manually by his cellmate – a Ukrainian nationalist.

The tragic events of the past urge us to raise new generations on the principles of respect for human dignity, tolerance, fundamental human rights and freedoms.

Today we are better able to understand each other's pains, to feel solidarity, as well as to show mutual support.

In 2014, in an evil hour for my country, the entire Jewish community stood resolutely shoulder-to-shoulder with the citizens of Ukraine and other nationalities in order to protect our common Motherland. We, the Ukrainians, highly appreciate and will never forget this.

Today it is absolutely obvious that a political nation is forming in Ukraine. The nation, which, based on patriotism, joint past, serious challenges of the present and belief in a common European future, has firmly consolidated peoples of different ethnic groups, languages and faiths around the fundamental values of freedom, independence, democracy and human rights.

Honorable Members of the Knesset!

Ladies and gentlemen!

Today the relations between Ukraine and Israel are developing dynamically, both at the state level, as well as at the level of spiritual, cultural, and people-to-people contacts. 7

A network of religious Jewish communities, synagogues and schools has developed in Ukraine. The Centre for Studies of the History and Culture of East European Jews has been established in Kiev. The museums and research centers have been opened in Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernivtsi and Ostroh.

We can look into the future with confidence.

The key goal of my State visit to Israel is to intensify political dialogue, trade and economic, investment cooperation, as well as define a path for enhancing bilateral interaction in all other sectors.

And we stand a good chance. On the 26th of December we will celebrate the 24th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between our states.

Ukraine’s election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the period of 2016–2017 should also become a significant element of deepening Ukraine-Israel relations. I assure you that at this high post Ukraine will be a decisive contributor and advocate of peace and justice, including in the Middle East. We will do that with a deep understanding of the importance of our mission, as we really know a real price of these values.

We are ready to intensify our cooperation with Israeli partners, in particular in the trade sector. In recent years, we have reached a one billion US dollars trade turnover. It is not enough, we need more. That is why the arrangements to establish a free trade zone between Ukraine and Israel will be of particular importance.

I should note that Ukraine and Israel are holding these days in Kiev the next round of trade negotiations. I am convinced that a joint arrangement on the free trade zone will greatly contribute to our interaction. 8

We have a considerable bilateral potential for further development. I mean both industry and agriculture, investments and science.

We admire outstanding achievements of your scientists, engineers and doctors, your experts in the defense industry. We are impressed with the will and determination of the Israeli people, who have built a modern innovative economy and a flourishing country using limited resources and within such a short period. The people, who revived their ancient language and ensured its full-fledged use in everyday life.

The people, who got used to living under everyday military threat and to defending effectively its country. The people, who managed to maintain democracy in such circumstances.

Ukrainian media often report on Israel, its economy, security, healthcare, and science. We are especially interested in accomplishments of Tsahal, the Israel Defense Forces.

Nowadays Ukraine has to solve the challenges similar to those you faced dozens of years ago. Your experience is extremely valuable and useful for us. In the face of threat to our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we are implementing a full-scale reforms program. I am not talking about cosmetic repair, but about rebuilding the whole system. Fight against corruption, decentralization, justice and military reforms, improvement of the business climate - all those items stay on the agenda of Ukrainian authorities.

Our future survival literally depends on how decisive and persistent we will be on this way.

Ukraine, as Israel, will stand, will not break and will become even stronger.

Honorable members of Knesset! 9

The history of Masada for me is a vivid example of undefeated spirit and unbelievable power. It’s a history of a human desire to be free – bursting imposed boundaries that (at first) seemed insurmountable. Two years ago, the Ukrainians showed to the world how the power of spirit and unity of ordinary people can defeat a powerful and repressive ruling machine. Our great appreciation and gratitude go to the Jewish organizations in Ukraine, which stood in support of the Revolution of Dignity. We also appreciate the position of most Ukrainian repatriates in Israel and Israeli civil society, which stood against the aggressive Kremlin policy on Ukraine. The Russian aggression has been going on for 21 months. Millions of Ukrainians are now under occupation, while 1.4 million were forced out of their homes. More than 9,000 Ukrainians, including more than 6,000 civilians, became victims of the terror sponsored and supported by Russia. Lawlessness, robbery and intolerance dominate in the occupied territories. We witness mass violations of human rights in Crimea, which alarm the international human rights protection organizations. Everyone who disagrees with the policy of the occupation authorities becomes a target for the repressive Kremlin machine, including the representatives of national minorities. The Jewish community of Crimea, which numbers nearly 17,000 persons, can also become its victim. The occupants started cultivating anti-Semitism: they even raised the monument devoted to Stalin. By heating up the conflict in Donbas, Russia sends there its regular troops and mercenaries. It provides them with the most modern armaments. Some of them are in exclusive use by Russian armed forces. Recently the Kremlin’s leader publicly recognized Russian military presence in Donbas. The Kremlin supports and finances terroristic activities both within the conflict zone and in the rest of Ukraine. Those activities are carried out by Russia not only in Ukraine, but in other regions of the world, including the Middle East. 10

Under the pretext of fighting the Islamic State, the Russian planes are bombing the forces of the moderate Syrian opposition. The main victims of these bombardments are innocent civilians, whose lives for the past four years has already been full of suffering. The most modern lethal weapons are supplied to the territory of Syria. In whose hands will they end up tomorrow? Against whom will they be used? The recently delivered S400 anti-aircraft weapon systems can seriously affect the balance of power in the region. Despite the war – Ukraine managed to restore its Armed Forces. Within several months we built one of the most combat-ready armies on the continent. Among Ukrainian soldiers there are many people of Jewish origin. I particularly want to mention today our glorious soldier, one of so-called “cyborgs”, who died last January in Donetsk Airport, an ethnic Jew Yevhen Yatsyna, a.k.a. “Benya”. We are very proud of his heroic courage, for which I awarded the state Order “For Valor” to him posthumously.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to extend our gratitude to Israel for its assistance in providing treatment and rehabilitation to our wounded servicemen. With your help dozens of Ukrainians have received a new chance for life. Let me stress this: Russian aggression against Ukraine is not just a war for territory. It is a war of worldviews. The Ukrainians are dying for freedom and democracy, fighting for the right of the Ukrainian state to independently determine its future. Ukraine has made its European choice. It is irreversible. In the nearest days, since 1 January 2016, we will start implementing the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement – its provisions on Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. The liberalization of visa regime between Ukraine and the EU in 2016 will be another sign of our reunification with the European family. By 11 the way, we are very appreciative of the visa-exemption regime existing between Ukraine and Israel. The Ukrainian people want to see their country among the European democracies, politically free, economically developed and socially successful nations. Not for a moment do we forget that the European civilization, the civilization of the Bible, owes some of its origins to strong Middle Eastern roots. Today, Ukraine is the outpost of democracy in the East of Europe, much as Israel is one in the Middle East. Just as Israel, Ukraine has a neighbor denying our very right to existence. Just as yourselves, above all we strive for peace. I believe in peace. One of the founders of Zionism (Theodor Herzl) once said that you can’t build a great nation without a great adversary. Someone in the Kremlin decided do this “favor” to Ukraine. Yet, we do not want hate and animosity. We want peace. Dear ladies and gentlemen, As the last developments in the world demonstrate, the forces of evil, although indirectly, are interrelated. The victory of evil in one spot of the world can incite its revenge in another. It is my belief that our response to that challenge should be solidarity and unity of efforts of all democratic and civilized countries of the world. I trust that the Israeli politicians will take a clearer stance towards the events in Ukraine, when they take into consideration the recent dynamic changes taking place in the Middle East. I would like to finish my remarks on a more upbeat note. Recently, you have celebrated Hanukkah, we are about to celebrate the New Year. Allow me to wish happiness and a better life to all of us, to every Jewish and every Ukrainian family. Let us trust in God, in ourselves, our friends and loved ones. Let us remember the words of Prophet Jeremiah: "So says the God: stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls”. Let us never despair in seeking paths for a better future. 12

The future, where there is no place for violence and terrorism, but where peace, tolerance and prosperity rule.

Todah Rabah! Shalom