Vladimir Tiomkin, former vice-president of the Jewish National Assembly of the Ukraine, who is fully acquainted with the situation in the Ukraine during the pogrom period under Petlura’s regime declared to the correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:
“When Petlura first entered Kiev, the Jewish population met his troops in a friendly spirit. In spite of this, Petlura published an anti-Jewish proclamation accusing the Jews of Bolshevism. A few days after this proclamation was issued, pogroms took place in Berditchev. Sarny, Bachmatch and Elisabetgrad.
“Jewish delegations continually appeared before Petlura, asking him to take measures against the pogroms but without result. Petlura’s Attamaus, Strug, Augel and others, carried out massacres of Jews in 34 villages. About 150,000 Jews fell victims of these pogroms.
“I am against terror. But the fact cannot be denied. Petlura’s hands were stained with Jewish blood. The Jewish ministry in Petlura’s cabinet was a comedy created not by Petlura but by the first Ukrainian Rada.” Mr. Tiomkin declared.
Much data concerning the pogroms under the Petlura regime was collected by Mr. Tiomkin and brought to Paris in 1920 where he submitted it to the Committee of Jewish Delegations.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
