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Arnold Margolin The Jewish Chronicle 16May1919 Interview on Petliura
The pogroms have been perpetrated by the people of the Black Hundred
and by provocateurs for the purpose of discrediting the Ukrainian
government.
An Interview with
Dr. Arnold Margolin in 1919
The Jewish Chronicle
London
May 16, 1919
Dr. Arnold Margolin, Head of the Ukrainian Diplomatic Mission in London,
Chairman of the "Jewish Territorial Society" in the Ukraine, was born in
Kiev (in 1877), attended Kiev University, and established himself in Kiev
as an attorney. Since 1903 he had been noted as a counsel for the
defense of the injured in pogrom excesses. Besides, he participated as a
counsel for the defense in many agrarian and political court trials. For
his revelations in the well-known Beilis case he was prosecuted by the
Minister of Justice of that time, Shcheglovitov, with the result that the
further practice of law was forbidden to him. He has taken part in the
Ukrainian Movement for many years, and has occupied himself with social
problems in the Ukraine. After the Revolution he was a member of the
Central Committee of the Socialist-Federalist Party, and for a time he
was Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. In the spring of 1919 he went
to Paris as a member of the Ukrainian Peace Delegation. Since January
1920 he has been the head of the Ukrainian Diplomatic Mission in London.
What is the attitude of the Jews toward the new Ukrainian State?
On the question of independence of the Ukraine the Jews
were split into two camps. On the one side there were the
assimilated Jews who having been brought up in the
All-Russian political spirit took a stand hostile to the
new Ukrainian State. On the other side there were the
majority of the Jews - the nationalists, Zionists and the
Jewish Socialist Parties - who declared their sympathy for
Ukrainian endeavors. The Jews who were themselves an
oppressed nation welcomed with sympathy the national
struggle of the Ukrainians.
The Jews were also split as to their attitude toward the
socialist program of the new state. The left wing of the
Bund and Poalej-Zion went hand-in-hand with the left
Ukrainian parties that were for the exclusion of the
bourgeoisie from the government. The majority of Jews were
on the side of those Ukrainian parties that interceded for
the West-European political system. But in spite of these
differences, almost all Jewish parties and organizations
recognized the right of the Ukrainian nation to its
independence.
What is the attitude of the Ukrainian government toward the Jews?
In the Ukraine which together with Galicia has a population
of 40 millions there live 3 1/2 million (8%) Jews. After
the Revolution the ruling power in the Ukraine rested in a
parliament in which all parties of the country, including
Jewish, were represented. That parliament ("Tsentralna
Rada") granted the Jews more freedom and rights than they
had anywhere in Europe at any time. All national
minorities, of course Jews too, were granted autonomy. It
must be stressed also that the Central Council (the
Parliament) set up a Supreme Court to which those lawyers
were appointed as judges, who had had courage to take a
stand against the Russian government during the Beilis
trial.
Here Margolin narrated the fate of the Ukraine after the overthrow of the
Tsentralna Rada and during the rule of Hetman Skoropadksy, and then
continued:
Hetman's rule lasted only eight months. [After its
overthrow] the Petlura Government renewed the autonomy of
national minorities and again appointed Jewish ministers,
viz. Mr. Goldelman and myself. Jews belong also to the
diplomatic missions which have been sent abroad by the
Ukrainian government. The noted Jewish historian, Dr.
Wischintzer, one of the editors of the Jewish Encyclopedia,
is the secretary of the Ukrainian legation in England.
How does this government's attitude agree with the fact of anti-Jewish
pogroms?
There is a difference between pogroms which, unfortunately,
have occurred now in the Ukraine, and pogroms in Russia
during the tsarist regime. While the tsarist government
had itself instigated and organized pogroms, the Ukrainian
government is in no way responsible for them. In November
1918 I myself saw the proclamations of the government in
the Ukrainian villages and cities which very vehemently
condemned the pogroms and explained to the Ukrainian people
that the Jews are Ukrainian fellow-citizens and brothers to
whom full rights are due. When, however, demoralization
had set in the units of the Ukrainian army, its worst
elements began to plunder. Again the Ukrainian government
rose vigorously against the pogroms, punishing with death
the perpetrators of the pogroms and expressing its sorrow
for the victims. To my regret, I must state that the
latest pogroms which, as far as I know, took place during
the months of February and March were exceedingly serious.
They have been perpetrated by the people of the Black
Hundred and by provocateurs for the purpose of discrediting
the Ukrainian government.
These occurences made a shocking impression upon me, and at
the end of March I tendered the government my resignation.
I recognized that fact that the government was blameless; I
found it, however, hard to occupy an official post in a
country in which my brothers were slaughtered. My
resignation was not accepted and the government requested
me to continue in my official duties, at least abroad. Now
I am one of the four representatives of the Ukraine at the
Peace Conference. There is no anti-Semitic tendency in the
Ukrainian government.
Margolin denies that Jews are playing an important role in the Bolshevist
movement, as it is generally assumed. To be sure, there are also Jews
among the Bolshevists, but among Jews in general the Bolshevists
constitute merely an insignificant minority. The Jewish Zionist and
other patriotic organizations received 70% of the votes at all
elections. There were no Jews at all among the Russian sailors who
played such an important part in the Bolshevist revolution.
The fact that there are seemingly so many Jews among the Bolshevists,
Margolin attributed to the circumstances that Jews distinguish themselves
in all activity by their great energy, and hence the impression arises
that there are many Jews in each political party.
(The Jewish Chronicle, London, May 16, 1919, in F. Pigido (ed.), Material
Concerning Ukrainian-Jewish Relations during the Years of the Revolution
(1917-1921): Collection of Documents and Testimonies by Prominent Jewish
Political Workers, The Ukrainian Information Bureau, Munich, 1956)
HOME DISINFORMATION PETLIURA 539 hits since 25Mar99
Symon Petliura Jewish delegation 18Jul1919 Provocation of reactionaries and imperialists
The delegation asked for granting of an opportunity to Jewish intellectuals
to work toward strengthening Ukrainian statehood, and for protection of
the Jewish population against the excesses which have taken place as
the result of provocation on the part of various Russian reactionaries and
Polish imperialists who thus wish to discredit the whole Ukrainian cause in
the eyes of Europe.