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Tlt»e Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, April 16, 1987-Page 9
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Concerned about DemjanjukfaH^
ERNIE MEYER (Jerusalem Post Foreign Service)
JERUSALEM -
"We want to prevent the Den\jaiyuk trial from being used to fan the flame of anti-Ukrainianism — a sort of anti-semitism in reverse." ,
This sentiment was voiced recently by a group of Canadian-Ukrainian lawyers and academics who visited Jerusalem to observe the trial of alleged Treblinka concentration camp guard John IDemjanjuk and report back to their communities.
The leader of the group, Dr. Yury Boshyk of Toronto, had visited Israel just before the trial opened. Returning when the trial was under way, he says Canadians of Ukrainian origin feel their 'nation as a whole is being maligned because media reports tend to stress the Ukrainian aspect of the case.
For this reason, Boshyk. a historian, felt it was important to bring the group to Israel so that members could observe the trial, albeit briefly, and assess the atmosphere in the country.
Members of the group include Prof. Danylo Husar Struk, who teaches in the Slavic department of the University of Toronto, Bohdah (Bob) Onyschuk, a sienior member of a large Toronto law firm, and Andrew Ogaranko, a Winnipeg lawyer.
The only Jewish member of the group is Alexander Epstein, a Toronto lawyer, who has long worked together with leaders of the Ukrainia^n community in Canada.
The group embarked on its mission against the backdrop of tensions between C^ada's Ukrainian and Jewish oMnmunities which developed last year during the Deschenes Conunission of Inquiry into y/ai criminals living in Canada.
In Sq^mber, 10 Winnipeg lawyers, concerned about deteriorating relations between the Jewish and Ukrainian communities in Manitoba, formed a group to bridge this gap. Four of the members were Ukrainian, four were Jewish and two belonged to neither group.
"We don't Want to see the animosity spread to the younger generation,'' a spokesman says. "We want to defuse growing racism, intolerance and finger-pointing."
Hot-heads belonging to both groups made irresponsible statements, says one of the visitors, such as when an official of one Nazi-hunting organization spoke of 'thousands" of Ukrainian war criminals, instead of "some."
There are about 750,0()0 citizens of Ukrainian origin among Canada's population of 25 million. Most of them inunigrated in the period between 1892 and 1923, and again after Worid War II.
CARLALPERT
■HAIFA-.'-v''
A tnuseum exhibit of artistic papercuts could hardly be regarded as point of departure for ah example of Soviet attitude toward its Jews, nor as the source of a mystery being aired here for the first time . . . in the hope that perhiaps some reader may know the solution. . The story begins with what was intended to be an uneventfiil visit to the Haifa Museum exhibition of world papercuts, which has been drawing such imexpected crowds that its run has been extended to July. Children in kindergartens are often taught to fold a piece of paper twice dver, make appropriate snips, and then unfold to reveal a synimetrical pattern. Iniaginative and creative artists have developed the craft since earliest known times, though the oldest papercuts still in existence were discovered at a burial site in China dating to the 6th century.
For some reasort it was seized lipon by Jews as a means of artistic expression, particularly among Orthodox Jews; and many of the extjuisite items on exhibition deal withreligious symbols and motifs. The craft flourished in Eastern Eurq)e, but because of the flimsiness and fragility of the products, none is known to have surviyed the Holocaust.
The hundreds of selected papercuts in this exhibit are divided-aniong national pavilions, with exceptionally beautifol, almost breathtaking pieces from China, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland and Mexico among other countries.
The work of Israeli artists, of course, predominates, and diey are up to the highest ofcom-; parative international standards.     it was in the Israeli collection that we came across the name of Pnina Green, of Leningrad. But why among
Coming fit)m a largely rural background, they helped to develop Canada's Western provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Boshyk says that the Ukrainians, like Jewish immigrants and those from Asian countries, plac-ed great emphasis on givuig their children a higher education. Thus their descendants today include Canada's justice minister Ray Hnatyshyn, provincial cabinet ministers, judges, lawyers and academics.
In the Western provinces there are government-supported schools in which half the instruction is given in Ukrainian. "The earliest contacts 'out west' often were with Jewish merchants because of existing culniral bonds,'' says Boshyk.
The Ulu-ainian diaspora includes about one million living in the United States, with other large groups in Argentina and Brazil.
Ukraine is the second-largest of the 15 national republics making up the Soviet Union. With a population today of about 50 million, Ukraine is about the size of France and more populous than Poland. Of the approximately 3 million Jews in Russia today, 750,000 live in the Ukraine.
Because of the continuing, strong Ukrainian nationalism, the large majority of political prisoners in Soviet camps are Ukrainians.
"Jewish activists now in Israel, such as.Natan Scharansky and Yosef Mendelevich, said they had many friends among their Ukrainian fellow-sufferers," Boshyk says.
Canadian Ukrainians are acutely aware of what has been, termed the "forgotten holocaust." This is the man-made famine of 1932-1933, when Stalui dumped grain requisitioned from the Ukraine on Western markets to earn foreign currency for his industrialization program.
Between 7 and 10 millkm people died (^starvation during this period, as Stalin enforced farm collectivization in the Ukraine and tried to crush the region's national spuit.
One of die visitors, Bohdan Onyschuk, was instrumental in making a 55-minute documentary of tiiat national calamity, which makes graphic the extent to which the memory of that disaster is still alive in the consciousness of Ukrainians. Onyschuk handed a copy of die film. Harvest of Despair, to die Jerusalem CinemaUieque.
Under the German occupation in World War II the Ukraine again lost about 7 million people.
Boshyk says his mother lived through the 1932-33 famine and has memories of collecting grass and weeds for food and searching for rotting potatoes. She even recalls reports of cannibalism among the desperate farm population. She lost her mother and a younger sister in that man-made disaster.
In recent y^ears Boshyk has encouraged his mother to write her memoirs in Ukrainian; "She
m reverse
die Israelis? Nina Benzoor, curator of die Museum of Music and Ethnology, told us the story: ,
Pnina, now 27, studied architecture in her native Russia and practked that pnrfesaon until she was dismissed from her job because of her activities in spreading Jewish culture. Now resident, in Leningrad, she began making papercuts with traditional Jewish themes, and gave some of her. work to friends. Learning of plans for the Haifa exhibit, whkh had been in preparation for two years, she called forth the maximum of her skill and inspiration, and produced a delicate piece which was very carefully packed and sentolf to Haifa. It never got beyond the border, where it was confiscated by the Soviet authorities, possibly on the grounds that it was revealing state secrets.
Yet Pnina Green is represented in die exhibit after all. Someofher friends, who had been able to leave die Soviet Union wididieir belongings, brought samples of her work to Israel with them, and. were happy to loan them for die present show. Fittin^y, diey are in the Israel pavilion. All show intense Jewish inspiration.
There are few American works on exhibition, but mystery surrounds one that came to Haifa from Massena, NY. It is die largest creation widi a Jewish theme, and adorns die official exhibit poster.
First, a bit of history. In 1928, on the eve of Yom Kippur, a small Christian girl disappeared in Massenara city in upper New York state, and a policeman summoned the rabbi of Congrega^; tion Adas Israel to explain to the mayor if it was true that Jews used the blood of children in their religious c6reihonies. Public feeling against die Jews began to run high, and the shudder of fear that went throu^ the tiny Jewish ctHnmunity may well be imagined. Fortunately die litUe girl, hav-
Defence lawyer Mark O'Connor (foreground) addresses 3-man panel of judges in the trial of accused war criminal John Den\|aivjuk. [Paul Lungen photo]
cries every time she talks about die period, just as Jewish Holocaust survivors do,'' he says.
Against diis background of Ukrainian national . tragedy, the visitors discuss the Demjanjuk trial. Boshyk says Ukrainians in die United States and Canada view die court case as a "show trial," picking up die phraseused by Yoram Sheftel, die Israeli member of the defence team, at his first appearance in court.
Struk criticizes imprecise media reports, which say diat "all guards were Ukrainians," or refer to Ukrainian Nazis. "There were no Ukrainian Nazis, perhaps there were collaborators. The mislabeling rankles."
He adds diat die trial should not be that of a national group, but only that of an individual.
I ask whedier Struk thinks that die conditions for a fair trial are present. "I find it hard to
ing lost her way, was found the following day, but die fact diat die traditional blood libel could be taken seriously on the American continent left a lasting impression on die Jews.
two years later, Adas Israel celebrated its lOdi anniversary with due thanks for security and tolerance. One of die gifts presented to the synagogue on diat occasion was a large (159 x 106 cm.) and magnificent papercut showing the Ten Conmiandments, doves of peace and a statement of faidi in God, surrounded by elaborate decorative motifs, cut out widi meticulous, detailed precision. Coloring is widi pencil, black ink, gouache and gold and silver hues.
For years die work hung in the small Adas Israel shul, until now it has found its way to the museum, donated by Dr. Samuel J. Jacobs and Isaac Rossoff, president.
A lettered panel across the bottom, apparendy executed by die artist, carries a Hebrew inscription: "To the Adas Israel synagogue, founded in 1920, gift of Reb Zalman Schneour, son of Moshe Halevi, and his wife, Rivka, daughter of Shmuel, in perpetual memorial, in the year 1930." ■')■■-■:■■ ' . ■
It is not clear if the donor was himself the artist, or if he commissioned die work tobe done. Where did it come fipom? What is the story behind it? What was his family name? The style is typically Eastern European, and it is not known whedier it was done in Europe or in die U.S. At any rate, die gift of Reb Zalman andhis wife, Rikva, continues in perpehial memorial, as diey no doubt would have wished, in the free state of Israel. ■ ..
As for the exhibition itself, no visitor to Haiftr should miss diis highly unusual show of an un^ conventional creative art. Open to the public through July.
answer. I can't makeup my mind after only two days in court. I hear people voice different opinions; there are disturbing elements," he says.
Struk is especially perturbed by the busmg of schoolchildren and soldiers to the improvised courtroom and by the stage atmosphere. The trial actually takes |>lace on a stage m a Jerusalem cinema converted for the purpose.
■ 'The image seems inappropriate for die gravity of die case and die dignity of die court," Boshyk adds., •
The visitors are especially disturbed by die visit of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir to a trial session and his later comment before high school students that he admires the courage of the witnesses.
"I would feel more comfortable with no coming and going in the courtroom; this is a serious matter,' says Struk.,
"We expected greater sensitivity on the part of die Israelis to our national sensibilities," Boshyk says.
Lawyer Bohdan Onyschuk says no Canadian court would allow die busing of schoolchildren into the courtroom or countenance an appearance by die Prime Minister: "If Israel wants to use die trial as a history lesson for its youdi, this should not be at die expense of die accused.
The visitors are guarded in their assessment of defence lawyer Mark O'Connor. They decline to speculate on his motivation. "It's probably one of the most unique trials of die century; if he's successful he's written his ticket," one of diem says.
There is criticism of die fact diat die State of Israel does not cover die defence costs. "If die trial goes on for six to nine monthiSv how can a private person defend himself?" asks one of die visitoi-s. "Fund raising by the Ukrainian community can be perceived as anti-Jewish," he ■ adds.
Other sentiments voiced are: a fair trial means full cover of defence costs; the case is so unique that the state should pay; and Israel must be seen to do justice.
In this connection it is pointed out to die visitors that O'Connor had earlier accepted die services of Israeli lawyer Gershon Orion, who offered to work firee of charge. But for reasons that were not publicized, O'Connor dien changed his mind. Yoram Sheftel is receiving an undisclosed sum for his services.
Referring back to the group's visit, Struk says: "We-are here to make sure diat our two communities don't fall into die ti^p set up by the Soviets, to pit one against the odier. We Ukraii-nians support Israel because we regard it as a bastion against Soviet imperialism."
Boshyk warns against allowing hotheads in eidier the Jewish or die Ukrainian community to grab headlmes and inflame spirits.
He says that most of the Israelis he has met are eager for a dialogue and suggests diat "rather dian waiting for die other side to take the first step, let us do so togedier."