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Comments (0)Ukraine’s chief rabbi said he will give up his own state honor to protest the country’s honoring of a wartime nationalist leader.
Rabbi Moshe Reuven Asman has asked attorneys to determine how he can return his Order of Merit honor in protest of President Viktor Yuschenko’s granting of the Hero of Ukraine award to Stepan Bandera, the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, on Jan. 22, Interfax news agency reported.
The posthumous honor for Bandera was protested by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, as well as other regional Jewish organizations,
The Ukrainian nationalist forces led by Bandera fought against both the Nazis and the Soviet army in World War II, and led an armed battle against Soviet rule in Ukraine into the 1950s. Bandera and his nationalists were responsible for killing thousands of Jews and Poles.
Yuschenko is running last in the race for Ukrainian president, with elections scheduled for Feb. 7. His honor for Bandera was seen as a way to force the other candidates to take a stand on the nationalist leader.
Bandera was assassinated by a KGB agent in Munich in 1959.
Israel, Rome Tussle Over Soccer Player
Controversy has erupted over the acquisition of an 18-year-old Israeli player by Rome’s Lazio soccer team.
Eyal Golasa’s signing with Lazio was announced Sunday, but his Israeli team, Maccabi Haifa, says it still has him under contract until next year and has brought the affair to the attention of FIFA, the international soccer federation.
Media reports said Golasa signed a 4 1/2-year contract with Lazio and joined the team without Maccabi’s knowledge. They quoted Golasa as saying he signed the contract with Maccabi when he was still a minor, and since he turned 18 in October it is no longer legally binding.
After arriving in Rome, Golasa toured the city’s historic Ghetto neighborhood, stopping to visit the city’s main synagogue and Jewish Museum.
Italian sportswriters, meanwhile, noted that Golasa might run into trouble with some of Lazio’s fans, who include a far-right fringe group that has used racist and anti-Semitic slogans.
Turkey Denies Israeli Envoy is Seeking Transfer
Turkey has denied reports that its ambassador to Israel has asked to be relieved of his duties.
Israeli media reported Tuesday that Ahmet Oguz Celikkol requested a transfer to a new posting in another country in the wake of a public dressing down by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon.
Both the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the Turkish Embassy in Israel denied that the request had been made, according to Haaretz.
Ayalon apologized on Jan. 13 for calling in Celikkol and embarrassing him in front of television cameras in the wake of a verbal attack on Israel by the Turkish prime minister and a new anti-Israel Turkish television drama, the second such show aired in several months.
During the televised meeting, Celikko was made to sit on a lower chair than Ayalon and the table between them only displayed an Israeli flag. Ayalon did not shake the Turkish envoy’s hand.
Shortly after the incident, Celikko expressed an interest in leaving Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported, which said his top advisers also want to leave.
Relations between Israel and Turkey have been strained since Israel’s military operation last winter in Gaza.