JDC FSU TRIP REPORT KIEV FEBRUARY 13, 2014

JDC FSU TRIP REPORT
KIEV FEBRUARY 13, 2014
By Rina Edelstein
On February 13, a senior delegation from the FSU department in Jerusalem travelled
to Kiev to gain insight into the current
situation there in order to assist in JDC
planning and to connect with key partners
who have been supporting JDC in Ukraine.
The delegation was led by Ofer Glanz Regional Director of the FSU department;
Shauli Dritter - Director of Field
Operations; Rina Edelstein – Director of
External Relations; Shaun Goldstone –
FSU Regional Specialist based at JDC NY
and led by the JDC acting representative
in Kiev, Shira Genish.
Our first meeting was held at the Hesed
with JDC office employees and Hesed
staff. The purpose of the meeting was
first and foremost to thank the staff for
their continued commitment and steadfastness during these trying times in Kiev –
which affects all the
citizens of the city and
country. In addition, we
wanted to hear from
them about how the
situation in Maidan (The
center of the
demonstrations) is
effected their work, the
lives of the Hesed clients,
and their own personal lives.
What we heard from the staff is that they are beginning to see pensions payments
being delayed; that the cost of basic goods has risen about 10% of the last few
months– and that they expect that the economic situation for our clients will continue
to decline. We did hear a strong
message about the level of
material support provided to non
– Nazi victims and the need to
increase, at this time, our SOS
funds allocation to Ukraine.
Following the meeting with the
staff, we went to see Maidan for
ourselves. What we imagined to
be a disorganized street protest –
actually looks quite organized.
There are guards checking the
entrances, apparently stopping all those who show signs of being inebriated. There
are kitchens and bathroom stalls lining the roads. And most importantly, it does not
look like the protesters are going anywhere.
Following our visit to Maidan, we visited the German Embassy for a meeting with Dr.
Christof Weil, German Ambassador to Ukraine and Kurt Stoeck-Stillfried, Deputy
Director. Two main issues were
discussed with the Ambassador. JDC
expressed an interest in hearing the
Ambassador's position on events
transcribing in Ukraine today. The
Ambassador spoke very openly about
the situation that has transpired in
Ukraine: specifically about how what
began as a protest to Ukraine's
refusal to sign the EU agreements;
morphed into protest against
violence against students in the
streets; and has now turned into a battle by many different political groups against
corruption and against President Yanukovych. Add in the unknown commodity of
Russia geopolitical and geo-economic interests in the region – and it's anybody's guess
as to what will happen next.
In addition to the general political situation, JDC was eager to reach out to our
partners at the German Embassy to update them regarding our pending approval with
the Humanitarian aid committee. As a significant portion of our funding in Ukraine
comes from the German government through the Claims Conference, they have a
vested interest in seeing that JDC gets the Humanitarian committee approval for our
activities. As they had been updated on a regular basis since our attempt to receive
the status had begun, the Ambassador and his deputy were aware that we were
waiting for 2 outstanding signatures on our application: one from the National Bank of
Ukraine and one from the ministry of Social Affairs. As there were meetings
happening last week on this issue, it was agreed that Shira Genish would update them
the week of February 17, and that if necessary, the Germany Ambassador would be
willing to sign another tri-partite letter (German, American, Israeli) to the National
Bank of Ukraine asking for their cooperation in this matter. Also, the Ambassador
Weil did not rule out the option of "summoning" the Ukrainian Ambassador in
German to take them to task on this issue.
The delegation also met
with Rabbi Asman, one of a
number of Rabbis of
Ukraine. Rabbi Asman runs
two schools and also
recently purchased a plot of
land to be used for Jewish
camping in Ukraine. While recognizing the recent anti-Semitic incidents that have
happened around the Podol synagogue in Kiev, Rabbi Asman warns of players in the
region who may have an interest in seeing anti-Semitism become a major issue in the
battle between the government and the opposition. If this happens, it may have little
to do with real anti-Semitism and more about using the Jewish community as a pawn
knowing their influence both in and outside of Ukraine. This sentiment was echoed in
our meeting with Israeli Ambassador Reuven Din El. Ambassador Din El, who is
finishing his term in the summer, is fully aware of JDC's position and offered his
continued assistance as needed.
The delegation then met with the United States Ambassador, Geoffry R. Pyatt.
Ambassador Pyatt echoed the sentiments of the German Ambassador regarding the
tenuous and precarious situation facing Ukraine today. According to the Ambassador
"it can go either way," either spiraling violence leading to potential civil war or a
peaceful succession to the current government in 2015. Either way, JDC needs to be
prepared for both scenarios. He also spoke about the sharp divide between East and
West Ukraine and how that can play into any future governance in the country. Both
Ambassadors, The German and the American did mention a possible scenario (even
though less likely) which will have to do with Russia using military force in Ukraine.
The U.S. Embassy is fully up to date regarding JDC's status in Ukraine and it continues
to offer support for and to JDC in our efforts to gain the Humanitarian committee
approval.
The team finished its day with a meeting with a key Jewish businessman in Kiev,
Vladimir Ashurov, CEO of IDS Borjomi International. Mr. Ashurov spoke briefly about
the economic implications of Maidan; a reduction in sales and a significant decrease in
foreign investment. He also noted that significant numbers of ex-pat are leaving the
country as it has become "financially and psychologically" impossible to work in a
corrupt Ukraine. Mr. Ashurov spoke of too many rabbi's wasting too much money in
Kiev today. His personal view is that what is missing in the Jewish community today is
formal Jewish education along the lines of a Solomon Schechter type facility. When
asked what would happen if JDC walked away from its welfare support today in
Ukraine – Mr. Ashurov stated that everything that has been built would fall apart in a
few years as no one would step up to the plate in any significant form. When we
inquired about the need for informal Jewish education along the lines of the new JCC
JDC is seeking to establish, Mr. Ashurov stated that there is a need and he would be
happy for us to consult with him when plans become more concrete.

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