Zelensky's attitude towards Jews and Orthodox Christians: Any difference?

Volodymyr Zelensky lights the Hanukkah menorah in the Presidential Office. Photo: UOJ

On December 7, 2023, a ceremony was held on Maidan Square to mark the Hanukkah holiday, where the largest Jewish menorah in Europe was installed and lit. A few days later, the world's largest silver menorah was installed in Dnipro. What is behind these events, and do they have any relation to the UOC?

When Volodymyr Zelensky was not yet the President, in one of his interviews, he stated that his relationship with God was so intimate that he had no intention of making it public. "There are things we never discuss at the family table. That's what my father taught me. I never discuss them with anyone. Religious matters come first. We never discuss things that divide families and society. I never do that. But I believe in God," Zelensky said in 2019.

Responding to the question of whether he would attend holiday services broadcast on all TV channels, he explained that he did not plan to attend services "on camera."

"I think this is my personal, internal affair. I wouldn't want to broadcast it to the whole world on TV. Because I prefer to have my conversation with God one-on-one," said the presidential candidate three years ago, assuring that no one would interfere with religion or belief of Ukrainian citizens.

However, in the history of Ukraine, it often happens that the same person, as a candidate and as the president of the country, not only says but also does completely opposite things. Unfortunately, this is also the case with Volodymyr Zelensky.

At a time when he had no plans to become the head of the state, he baptized his child, without any scruples, in the Ilinsky Church of the UOC in Kyiv. When he became President, he declared the UOC a threat to national security.

Before the elections, Zelensky emphasized his neutrality towards religion and never showed a particular interest in any one denomination, at least publicly.

However, in the position of the head of the state, he demonstrates not only a more loyal attitude towards one denomination (OCU) at the expense of another (UOC) but also openly highlights a highly respectful attitude towards the religion of his fathers – Judaism. Judge for yourself.

On December 7, 2023, Volodymyr Zelensky, together with Jewish clergy, took part in the ceremony of lighting Hanukkah candles on the menorah. Rabbis from all over Ukraine gathered at the Presidential Office.

Three months earlier, Zelensky met with rabbis from Bila Tserkva, Berdychiv, Vinnytsia, Hadiach, Dnipro, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Kamianske, Kyiv, Luhansk, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih, Kropyvnytskyi, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Uman, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi at the Presidential Office. At that time, the rabbis presented the President of Ukraine with a menorah.

On December 10, Zelensky attended the inauguration of the newly elected head of Argentina, Javier Milei, who recently decided to change his Christian faith to Judaism. Milei presented Zelensky with a gift – a menorah, already familiar to the Ukrainian President.

One might ask, what's so strange about this? Zelensky is Jewish by origin and has never hidden it. After all, doesn't a Jew have the right to practice Judaism? Of course, and no one disputes that right.

Questions arise when the President shows a noticeably favorable attitude towards Judaism in a country where the majority of the population is Christian. This happens against the backdrop of repressions against the largest Christian denomination. In other words, if the Ukrainian president attended a synagogue and at the same time showed respect for the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine, there would be no questions. But in our case, everything is a bit different. Let's compare the recent facts.

• The President repeatedly gathers rabbis in the Presidential Office and conducts Jewish ceremonies there.
• The leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) invites the Chief Rabbi to tell him how effectively they are working against anti-Semites. And this story looks very much like a report.
• The SBU conducts searches at the Pochaiv Lavra because of the "offense to Jews" by the abbot. All this is happening in a situation where it is very difficult to suspect Ukraine of anti-Semitic sentiments.
• The Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine promotes bill 8371 banning the UOC in meetings with US government representatives. The Verkhovna Rada adopted this bill in the first reading.
• A little earlier, Ukraine agreed to host over 33,000 Jews in Uman for the Jewish New Year. This is despite the mayor's admission that the city simply did not have the necessary number of bomb shelters. In case of an air raid, there was simply nowhere to accommodate them.

However, the UOC was banned from all its cross-processions, which traditionally took place across the country in July and August for decades. The ban was justified by the war and the danger of missile strikes. But why is there no war for the Hasidim, and there is a war for the Orthodox Christians?

If we look at the situation from the outside, it becomes evident that today in Ukraine, the government's attitude towards Jews is incomparably more loyal than towards the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This is despite the fact that Orthodoxy, not Judaism, has been the traditional religion for this territory for over a thousand years.

Tetiana Tsaruk, the leader of the Rivne "Myriany" movement, observing Zelensky's drastically different approach to religious denominations, addressed the President with a question – can Orthodox believers hope for even a fraction of the attention he pays to Jews? Of course, this question is rhetorical, but can't anyone agree with it?

The role of the President in even a mono-religious country is very challenging. In a multinational and multi-confessional state, this difficulty increases manifold. It's no secret that issues of nation and faith are the most sensitive and, more than any others, capable of dividing society, sowing hatred and enmity. In such a situation, giving special attention to "your" religion and suppressing "others'" is not the most prudent policy.

It is believed that a school teacher should not bring their own children into the classes they teach. If they do, they should treat them even more strictly and demandingly than other students. Otherwise, the teacher will be accused of abusing their official position.

For a similar reason, the President should not personally intervene in the internal affairs of religions and should not allow his subordinates to do so. Especially in such a challenging time for the country.

Is there a way to rectify the situation? Certainly. And for this, there is no need to think up anything. It's enough to recall what Volodymyr Zelensky said before he became President. 

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