I have been following the Russian-speaking Internet + I have personal contacts (I was born in the Crimea, and raised in Odessa). I am happy to answer questions.
My girlfriend was born in Odessa, has family there, all pure-blood Ashkenazi. I’ve heard that Russian control of Ukraine would be better for Ukrainian Jews. It’s not a precise claim, but do you think it’s accurate?
“They lost their lives because they defended men and women, children and the elderly who found themselves in a situation facing a threat to be killed by invaders and sponsored by them subhumans. First, we will commemorate the heroes by wiping out those who killed them and then by cleaning our land from the evil”
That’s the prime minister. From Ukrainian embassy website. Those who speak Russian don’t have to wait for such things to be translated to English.
Ukrainians are quite anti-semitic, but so are russians. Probably given this, an autocratic asshole with an interest in appearing photogenic would seem like a better deal. Historically persecuted minorities do worse under weakened centralization.
Though if your choices are such that Putin is a better idea, then it seems to me that the correct response for an Odessan jew is to move to Brooklyn (?).
My girlfriend was born in Odessa, has family there, all pure-blood Ashkenazi. I’ve heard that Russian control of Ukraine would be better for Ukrainian Jews. It’s not a precise claim, but do you think it’s accurate?
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:W7a815ys0XwJ:usa.mfa.gov.ua/en/press-center/news/24185-mi-uvichnimo-pamjaty-gerojiv-ochistivshi-nashu-zemlyu-vid-nechistiarsenij-jacenyuk-u-spivchutti-ridnim-i-blizykim-zagiblih-vojiniv-u-lugansyku+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk
before the cache updates, quote:
That’s the prime minister. From Ukrainian embassy website. Those who speak Russian don’t have to wait for such things to be translated to English.
Ukrainians are quite anti-semitic, but so are russians. Probably given this, an autocratic asshole with an interest in appearing photogenic would seem like a better deal. Historically persecuted minorities do worse under weakened centralization.
Though if your choices are such that Putin is a better idea, then it seems to me that the correct response for an Odessan jew is to move to Brooklyn (?).
Given this, doesn’t look likely.
Well Masha Gessen is not necessarily the most trustworthy source on these matters.