ГУЛаг Палестины - Лев Гунин

their arrival they gave the Ukrainians free rein, for three days, to 'deal' with the Jews.

(Simon Wiesenthal, Justice Not Vengeance, 1989, p. 36, emphasis added)

VIEW #3: THERE WAS NO LVIV POGROM.

From the Ukraine Einsatzkommando 6 of Einsatzgruppe C reported as follows:

Almost nowhere can the population be persuaded to take active steps against

the Jews. This may be explained by the fear of many people that the Red

Army may return. Again and again this anxiety has been pointed out to us.

Older people have remarked that they had already experienced in 1918 the

sudden retreat of the Germans. In order to meet the fear psychosis, and in

order to destroy the myth ... which, in the eyes of many Ukrainians, places

the Jew in the position of the wielder of political power, Einsatzkommando

6 on several occasions marched Jews before their execution through the

city. Also, care was taken to have Ukrainian militiamen watch the shooting

of Jews.

This "deflation" of the Jews in the public eye did not have the desired effect. After a few

weeks, Einsatzgruppe C complained once more that the inhabitants did not betray the movements of

hidden Jews. The Ukrainians were passive, benumbed by the "Bolshevist terror." Only the ethnic

Germans in the area were busily working for the Einsatzgruppe. (Raul Hilberg, The Destruction of

the European Jews, 1961, p. 202)

The Slavic population stood estranged and even aghast before the unfolding spectacle of the

"final solution." There was on the whole no impelling desire to cooperate in a process of such

utter ruthlessness; and the fact that the Soviet regime, fighting off the Germans a few hundred

miles to the east, was still threatening to return, undoubtedly acted as a powerful restraint

upon many a potential collaborator. (Raul Hilberg, The Destruction of the European Jews, 1961,

p. 201)

First, truly spontaneous pogroms, free from Einsatzgruppen influence, did not take place; all

outbreaks were either organized or inspired by the Einsatzgruppen. Second, all pogroms were

implemented within a short time after the arrival of the killing units; they were not

self-perpetuating, nor could new ones be started after things had settled down. (Raul Hilberg

summarizing anti-Jewish activity in Ukraine, The Destruction of the European Jews, 1961, p. 204)

The Ukrainian violence as a whole did not come up to expectations. (Raul Hilberg, The

Destruction of the European Jews, 1961, p. 204)

Do you not find it disturbing, Mr. Jordan, that 60 Minutes' claim of a massive pre-German pogrom in Lviv is

contradicted by Simon Wiesenthal's earlier statements that the pogrom was post-German? And do you not find it even

more disturbing that when we turn from media stars like Simon Wiesenthal and television announcers like Morley Safer

to respected historians - in fact, the most respected historian of the Jewish Holocaust, Raul Hilberg himself - that

there is a curious lack of awareness of this most egregious of all World War II pogroms, and in fact flat denials that

anything of the sort ever happened?

Yours truly,

Lubomyr Prytulak

cc: Ed Bradley, Steve Kroft, Morley Safer, Lesley Stahl, Mike Wallace

Jordan Letter 3 May 14/96 Nowhere is the SS so openly celebrated

May 14, 1996

Michael H. Jordan

Chairman, Westinghouse Electric Corporation

11 Stanwix Street

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

USA 15222

Dear Mr. Jordan:

There are certain questions that keep revolving in my mind to which I can't seem to find any answers - perhaps

you could help me with one of these.

The particular question which I have in mind at the moment is what it was that led Morley Safer to the conclusion

that the Galicia Division reunion in Lviv - scenes of which were shown on "The Ugly Face of Freedom" - was in fact the

most open celebration of the SS imaginable - in Mr. Safer's own words: "Nowhere, not even in Germany, is the SS so

openly celebrated."

Now for what strikes Mr. Safer as being the most open of all conceivable celebrations of the SS, I would think

that the corroborative scenes shown should have contained all, or most, or at least several of the following

ingredients:

(1) a display of photographs of Hitler,

(2) a display of photographs of Himmler, head of the SS,

(3) a display of swastikas,

(4) a display of the lightning-bolt "SS" insignia, or any "SS" insignia,

(5) the playing of Nazi songs, perhaps Nazi marching songs,

(6) goose-stepping on the part of the participants,

(7) participants raising their hands in the "Heil Hitler!" salute,

(8) pro-Nazi literature distributed to the participants as part of the celebration,

(9) pro-Nazi statements elicited from the participants by reporters,

(10) pro-Nazi statements made by speakers addressing the celebrants,

(10) reminiscences of Nazi successes during World War II,

(12) expressions of anti-Semitism.

I would think that before a summary as extreme as "Nowhere, not even in Germany, is the SS so openly celebrated,"

a responsible reporter would have mentally run over such a check-list to measure precisely how much corroboration was

really at hand. Had Mr. Safer done this, he would have come up with a remarkable figure - and that figure is exactly

zero! Zero out of a possible twelve! In other words, the scenes aired by 60 Minutes contain not a shred of evidence

- not the smallest clue, not the slightest hint - that this was in any way a "celebration of the SS." To speak words

as provocative and inflammatory as were Mr. Safer's, while at the same time offering as corroboration scenes which in

no way support those words, perhaps demonstrates the contempt in which Mr. Safer holds the intelligence of the 60

Minutes viewer.

Had Mr. Safer done just a bit of homework before he started talking, he would have discovered that the Galicia

Division was a combat unit whose only role was to fight the Soviet advance on the Eastern Front. Had Mr. Safer done

just a bit of reading before giving vent to his prejudices and stereotypes, he would have discovered that the Galicia

Division has never been so much as accused of any war crimes or any crimes against humanity - not even by the Soviets

who have always been rabidly anti-Nazi, and against whom the Galicia Division fought. Had Mr. Safer demanded from his

support staff even the most superficial research prior to reading his proclamations, he would have discovered that in

at least three formal investigations, the Galicia Division has been judged to have been devoid of Nazi sympathies.

So, then, what was the evidence that Mr. Safer was basing his statement on? How could he have said something so

strikingly at variance with what was being shown on screen? This is the riddle that I wish you would help me solve.

Yours truly,

Lubomyr Prytulak

cc: Ed Bradley, Steve Kroft, Morley Safer, Lesley Stahl, Mike Wallace

HOME DISINFORMATION PEOPLE JORDAN 1535 hits since 23May98

Michael Jordan Letter 4 12Jul96 Levitas letter to Za Vilnu Ukrainu

July 12, 1996

Michael H. Jordan

Chairman, Westinghouse Electric Corporation

11 Stanwix Street

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

USA 15222

Dear Mr. Jordan:

I am sending you a translation from the Ukrainian of an open letter to Morley Safer

and the 60 Minutes staff, written by I. M. Levitas, Head of the Jewish Council of

Ukraine as well as of the Nationalities Associations of Ukraine, and published in the

Lviv newspaper Za Vilnu Ukrainu (For a Free Ukraine) on December 2, 1994. In this

letter, Mr. Levitas protests the 60 Minutes broadcast, "The Ugly Face of Freedom."

Mr. Levitas's letter is a cry both of anguish and of outrage, but its more

particular significance to us lies in its bringing to light fresh information

demonstrating the bias of the 60 Minutes broadcast, and as well in showing us that

Ukrainian Jews are foremost among those waiting for a corrective broadcast, and

foremost also among those who are offering their cooperation in the preparation of such

a corrective broadcast.

Mr. Levitas suggests that the severity of the bias combined with the total

suppression of contradictory information that is evident in the 60 Minutes story is

Bolshevik in style. I would go on to suggest to you that just as the countries of the

former Soviet Union cannot hope to thrive without first throwing off the leaders who

are inherently Communist in outlook, so CBS News cannot hope to thrive under the

leadership of individuals whose attitude toward broadcasting is that it is a tool

placed in their hands for the totalitarian manipulation of mass opinion.

Sincerely yours,

Lubomyr Prytulak

cc: Ed Bradley, Steve Kroft, Morley Safer, Lesley Stahl, Mike Wallace

WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOW

THE UKRAINIANS AND POLES WHO RESCUED JEWS?

Esteemed Gentlemen! Esteemed program host, Mr. Safer!

It has come to our attention that on October 23, 1994, American television broadcast

a program about events in the city of Lviv and in the Western region of Ukraine. We

have acquainted ourselves with the contents of this program, and have also received

feedback from Jews who recently emigrated from Ukraine to the United States.

Our conclusion: from isolated and insignificant facts you created a broadcast in

which you overwhelmingly crammed distortions and emphasized the negative aspects of

Jewish life, while at the same time hiding the positive aspects which are

considerably more numerous.

Everything that you reported in your broadcast unfortunately exists, but exists only

as isolated events diluted in the normal flow of life in Lviv. By focussing on

these isolated events, you painted an unrelievedly negative picture, and that

constitutes your principal error - unless it wasn't an error at all but rather was

done intentionally.

We are a young democracy, and the unrestrained expression of democratic freedoms may

give birth to untoward manifestations, as is bound to happen in any country,

including the United States - a country of long-standing democracy.

Many bad things, including attitudes toward Jews, have been bequeathed to us from

the past, and it is difficult to wholly eradicate this from the consciousness of the

people.

In your broadcast, you mentioned streets that were renamed after Petliura and

Bandera, but didn't mention that Frunze Street, which before the war was called

Starozhydivska Street ["Ancient Jewish Street"], was also recently renamed

Staroyevreiska Street [also "Ancient Jewish Street" but without the negative

connotation that "zhyd" has in Russian and in Eastern Ukrainian] - and, please note,

not to Starozhydivska Street, in deference to Jewish sensibilities.

You broadcast that contemporary Ukrainians don't know about the Yanivsky

concentration camp. Possibly so - but there has grown up a generation which has

already forgotten about even Auschwitz and Maydanek. But in fact in Ukraine, we do

know about the Yanivsky camp. Our Jewish Council has established a Yanivsky Camp

Foundation. Here in Lviv, we have held conferences dedicated to the memory of this

camp. Where your broadcast shows a woman carrying flowers, a stone memorial has

been erected bearing the Shield of David. I was present at the unveiling of this

memorial. Representatives of the Lviv City Council made presentations at this

ceremony, as did representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholic

Churches. I have in my possession a photograph of this event which I could forward

to you.

Yes, the fence which you showed, and the dogs, unfortunately are there - but these

are remnants of the past. In any case, a decision has been made to get rid of them

and to build a memorial in the same location. You should have reported this. More

to the point, the very first monument in our new Ukraine dedicated to Jewish victims

was erected not far from Lviv, in the town of Chervonohrad. Following that, three

other monuments were erected in our region.

You reported that two Jews were robbed and beaten. This might have happened, but

most likely not because they were Jews. I imagine that in Lviv, Ukrainians are also

robbed (and significantly more often!), and yet nobody draws from this the sort of

conclusions concerning ethnic hostility that you draw from the robbing of these two

Jews.

Our Jewish Council constantly receives news concerning Jews in Ukraine, but during

the past five years, we have received not a single report of anyone being beaten

because he was a Jew. However, it must be admitted that such a thing may have

occurred without it coming to our attention - there are plenty of miscreants in

every country.

Because the facts selected for your broadcast were excessively biased and one-sided,

it is incumbent upon me to give you a view of the other side of Jewish life.

In Lviv, where seven thousand Jews live, there are thirteen Jewish organizations.

There are also active organizations in the rest of the region - in Drohobych,

Boryslav, Truskavets. I can send you all their addresses. Lviv was the first city

in Ukraine to have a Jewish Society (1988), the first Ukraine-Israel Society (1989),

and the first to publish a Jewish newspaper (1989). A Center for the Study of

Jewish History is functioning in the city. Two Jewish-Ukrainian conferences have

been held here. We have a Jewish ensemble, a Jewish theater, a philharmonic

orchestra which recently, at the opening of the season, performed the works of

Tchaikovsky and of two Jewish composers. A Jew, Kotlyk, head of the Jewish Society,

was elected as a member of the City Council.

Two years ago, in the center of the city, not far from "Hitler Square," a monument

dedicated to the victims of the Lviv ghetto was unveiled. This is the biggest and

most prominent Jewish memorial in all of Europe. Haven't you seen it?

As head of the Jewish Council, I was present at all the events that I am describing,

and I can document them. Your discussing these events in a future broadcast would