From Nationalism to Universalism

Download or read book From Nationalism to Universalism written by Izraïlʹ Kleĭner and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jabotinsky was one of the first Jewish leaders who grasped the significance of the Ukrainian national problem and sympathized with the Ukrainian national movement. His pro-Ukrainian stance, however, was put to a hard test following the anti-Jewish excesses of Petlyura's army in 1919, including the Proskurov pogrom. Despite that, Jabotinsky remained a supporter of Ukrainian-Jewish reconciliation. In 1921 he concluded an agreement with Petlyura's government-in-exile, providing for the organization of a Jewish gendarmerie able to prevent pogroms in the event of a military invasion of Soviet Ukraine planned by Petlyura for 1922. Dwells on Jewish and Ukrainian reactions worldwide to the murder of Petlyura by Schwarzbard in 1926 in Paris. The independent Ukrainian press declared Schwarzbard a Soviet agent; the majority of the Jewish leaders and press regarded the Schwarzbard trial as a trial against the antisemitic Ukrainian nation. Only a fraction of both national leaderships preserved moderate attitudes. Jabotinsky held Petlyura responsible for the pogroms, and saw his murder as an act of symbolic revenge. Nevertheless, he advocated distinguishing between the Ukrainian national movement and pogromists. The mainstream Jewish press criticized Jabotinsky for his "dialogue with pogromists".