Jews Ordered to Register in Eastern Ukraine

Jews are being forced to register in Russian-controlled East Ukraine.

Flyers distributed earlier this week in East Ukraine asked for all Jews 16 and over to register at a government building occupied by pro-Russian forces. The flyers said that, should Jews fail to comply, they would lose their citizenship and "be forced outside the country with a confiscation of property."

According to the JTA wire service

The flyers in Donetsk said all Jews who are 16 years old and above should register at the government building, which separatist protesters are occupying, and pay a registration fee of $50 by May 3.

The flyers were distrubuted following events where a group of separatists had occupied government buildings and declared the succession of Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine

The secessionists are led by Denis Pushilin, who is often referred to by supporters as "the people's governor." Though the documents have the appearance of being officially endorsed by Pushilin, he has since denied that he is responsible for circulating the papers. Gawker notes, however, that he has also suggested to at least one source that his group was responsible.

Regardless of who is behind it, the echoes of Jews people being forced to register in Nazi-occupied Europe cannot be denied. The mere suggestion that Jewish people would once again incur anything similar is bone-chilling, but clearly a parallel that the flyer's creators meant to bring to mind as a scare tactic. And to be clear, no Jews have actually registered. 

[via USA Today and Gawker]

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