Address of the President of the , Leonid Kuchma

to the Knesset Plenum

Jerusalem, 25 November 1996

(Unofficial translation)

Honorable President, Honorable Prime Minister, Honorable Knesset Speaker, Members of Knesset, citizens of the State of Israel, first of all I wish to thank you for the opportunity that has been given me to address you – the sons and daughters of the Jewish nation, an ancient nation that is full of wisdom – from this most important stage. I view this opportunity as proof of our growing mutual desire to deepen the cooperation between our countries, and also as a good sign on the road to strengthening the friendly relations and cooperation between Ukraine and Israel.

The historic fates of our peoples have a lot in common. For hundreds of years the Ukrainian nation, just like the Jewish nation, was denied the possibility of establishing a sovereign and independent state. It was doomed to forceful assimilation, was scattered all across the globe, experienced terrible sacrifices in the 20th century, such as the famine of 1933, Stalin's persecutions and World War Two. The number of Ukrainian victims can be compared to the number of Jewish victims during .

At the time Ukraine was a refuge for a third of the global Jewish population. The inalienable assets of the Jewish religion were born on Ukraine's soil. It was here that the masterpieces of Israeli thought appeared – such as works of literature and art – and progressive political ideas developed.

The works of Sholem Aleichem, and Shaul Tchernichovsky and many literary figures and intellectuals have become an inseparable and organic part of the spirit and history of the Ukrainian people and the Jewish people. Our peoples have always lived side by side. Our peoples would marry among themselves, raise children and, together, overcome during periods of disaster. But for years the Ukrainians and the Jews were nations that did not have their own state and felt like foreigners on their land.

And along came new eras. At the end of the 1940s the Jewish nation succeeded in realizing its 2,000-year-old ambition to renew its sovereign state, and the Ukrainian delegation to the United Nations was among the first to support the revival of the Jewish statehood.

On August 24, 1991, without one bullet fire and without one drop of blood, Ukraine's independence was renewed.

We are marching forward despite all the difficulties toward building an open society. Half a million of Ukraine's citizens who are of Jewish descent contribute substantially to the building of the state of Ukraine. Not long ago we received a new constitution. We successfully formulated all of the state's institutions according to the European democratic model, and with persistence and consistency we are making the transition to a market economy. We have built, on our own, a capital and banking system; we've initiated reform in the national currency and now Ukraine has its own currency – the hryvnia. Civil and social calm is preserved in our country.

National anti-Semitism, a despicable legacy from times past, has been eradicated once and for all. Ukraine is a democratic country, and all of its citizens, irrespective of race, nationality and religion, can freely realize their right to respectable lives filled with happiness – God's gift.

The notorious "fifth line," the nationality line, which in past times blocked the path of the Jews, has been erased from the Ukrainian passport.

We are doing everything we can to renew the social life, religion and culture of the Jewish people in Ukraine. If a number of years ago there were 12 synagogues in our country, today there are already 50. "International Solomon University" operates (in Ukraine), in addition to 13 Jewish schools and another 60 Sunday schools. There are more than 20 Jewish communities. We have Jewish newspapers; there is a weekly television program, theaters and Jewish bands that perform successfully.

We are doing everything we can in order to give thousands of hasidim from all over the world the opportunity to visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman in Uman and pray to God on Rosh Hashanah.

Believe that all that is said here is not propaganda or an attempt to curry favor with someone. This is our policy on issues of nationality; a serious long-term policy; a policy which meets the highest international standards in the field of defending human rights and national minorities.

However, we must admit that not everything is rosy and problem-free in the Jewish community in Ukraine. To this day we can sense the annihilation of the rich historic layer of the in Ukraine as a result of the genocide perpetrated by the Nazi enemies and their accomplices. This is a tragedy - a fracture that is all-human and universal in nature - the results of which cannot be overcome for years, even decades.

Regretfully, today we can no longer renew the special atmosphere of the Ukrainian Jewish towns that were destroyed in a large wave of fire during World War Two, when the two peoples lived in peace and brotherhood; shared the joy and overcame the difficulties.

We are conducting extensive activity to commemorate the memory of those who fell during those terrible years, in order to improve and preserve Jewish cemeteries, sites of mass annihilation of the Jewish people and graves of prominent figures in the fields of religion and Hasidism in Volhynia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Berdychiv – all these places are under the auspices of the state. They are open to the praying of pilgrims. Of course, these extensive activities demand time and money.

The Jews of Ukraine, along with other citizens of different nationalities, carry the heavy burden of the economic crisis which fell on the shoulder of the entire Ukrainian nation. Many Jews, while seeking a better fate, are making to Israel or decide to immigrate to the United States and other countries, though this decision is not easy for everyone. Ukraine respects the right of every person to go outside of the country's boundaries. Our policy on this issue coincides with international norms. But from a human perspective, it is a great pity when so many sons and daughters of the Jewish nation, talented and educated, leave the land of Ukraine in droves, for good.

Our most lofty goal is to create such conditions that every Ukrainian citizen will be able to build in Ukraine a happy life for himself and his children. It is towards this end that the far-reaching economic reforms are directed – to lead Ukraine to a market economy, to take full advantage of the vast intellectual potential of our society.

Certainly, we do not remain indifferent to the expressions of aggressive chauvinism and anti-Semitism that we – the leadership – and most of the people, condemn unequivocally. We are (strictly) monitoring the activity of ephemeral yet quite loud groups which operate to the detriment of Ukraine. We are doing everything so that the malignant tumor of neo-Nazism and the sick anti-Semitism will not plant its poisonous roots in the consciousness of the Ukrainian society.

We will not allow anyone to violate the calm and peace between the peoples living on our land (and) light the flame of lethal confrontations between brothers. As president of Ukraine I will make sure of this.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the Ukrainian people and the Jewish people are two peoples that have been blessed with special talents which, by god's will, were gathered together on one stretch of land to live together as brothers. This is how it was and how it will be despite the few dark pages in our history.

We condemn the crimes of the past and certain criminals, yet we must also, once and for all, cast aside simplistic clichés of anti-Semitism and hatred of Ukrainians. We must reject out of hand generalizing allegations against entire peoples of committing crimes against humanity. So said Ze'ev Jabotinsky, who was born in : "The personality of a nation is artificial, and it should not be asked to provide an answer; nor is it obligated to justify itself."

The guideline of strengthening the friendly relations and trust between the Ukrainian people and the Jewish people is a fundamental guideline, a strategic guideline. This is the basis for building real friendly relations with the State of Israel. My visit to your country is another testament to this.

The basic principles of our foreign policy, which is characterized by consistency, level-headedness, a vision for the future, mutual respect, equal rights and honoring the precedence of international law, can clearly be seen in Ukraine's attitude towards developing mutual relations with Israel. As a result of this policy, Ukraine has obtained the status of a strategic partner of the United States. Ukraine is an esteemed member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a member of the European Council, and it has also worked with NATO on its Partnership for Peace program. Ukraine also takes part in UN missions to establish peace. In its Middle Eastern policy Ukraine casts aside, unequivocally, archaic clichés of the former Soviet Union. We aspire to good and balanced relations with all of the region's countries, including Israel and the Arab states. Therefore, we welcome and support the peace process which began five years ago in Madrid. We are aware of the complexity and the unique risks, compared with the more extended international conflicts, and continuously support the strict adherence to the principles of international law and a comprehensive settlement of the Israeli-Arab conflict on the basis of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. Therefore, Ukraine is concerned about the slowing down of the Israeli-Arab settlement process due to displays of extremism and due to the growing threat of international terror.

I wish to emphasize - the solution to all the problems will come only through negotiations. Our experience may be of assistance. We promise, on our part, that Ukraine will be willing to assist multi-lateral negotiations for cooperation in the most active way.

Honorable Knesset speaker, it is my pleasure to use this opportunity to present to you a gift from the Ukrainian people – a disc with the voice of Sholem Aleichem, the great son of the Jewish people and the Ukrainian people, and other recordings of Jewish works. These recordings were made in the Ukraine at the beginning of this century on Edison's phonographic cylinders. People thought they could not be restored, but thanks to the efforts of the Ukrainian scientists, who developed an original system for their restoration, these works have received a new life. Hopefully, from now on these pieces will be listened to in your homes and hearts, and voices from the past will help strengthen our friendship today.

(Applause)

Ladies and gentlemen, each member of the Ukrainian delegation is deeply moved to be on your ancient, sacred land, which has played a special spiritual role in the history of mankind for thousands of years. Particularly here one reaches, with great clarity, an awareness of the greatness of the eternal truths and of mankind's aspiration for peace and brotherhood. Let us remember the words of the prophet Jeremiah: "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." Well then, let us look together for the good ways and march forward together.

Shalom to you, people of Israel. Shalom to you. Thank you for listening.

(Applause)