"I really want to get youth involved in the discussion now with the hope of ensuring that we don’t fall into some of the “traps” of the past. There certainly is a risk of that happening because it’s happened before. I recently had the opportunity to hear Josef Zissels (World Jewish Congress Vice-President Chairman, Vaad of Ukraine) speak in Toronto. He summoned our communities to work together, instead of apart, in order to bring about some real, meaningful change."

Appearing on Israel’s Russian-language Channel 9 on May 27, UJE’s Shimon Briman noted the results of Ukraine’s presidential elections should put to rest concerns about antisemitism. Combined, both far-right candidates garnered less votes than Vadym Rabynovich, a prominent Jewish businessperson. (In Russian)

James Temerty, a non-Jewish Canadian business magnate who founded the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter to promote interethnic dialogue, said it would be very difficult for Poroshenko to make significant changes without further destabilizing the economy. “The best hope here is to move toward Europe, and that will stop the corruption gradually,” Temerty said. “He said he’d do it.”