Interview with Alik Gomelsky - Ukrainian-Jewish Relations

Wandering the Edge

Our first interview of 2022 is with researcher and historian Alik Gomelsky. Originally from Kharkiv, he is a member of the Canadian Author’s Association, co-founder of the Ukrainian-Jewish International Association and the author of "History: Unlearned Lessons", "Simon Petliura: Facts against Myths" and his latest: "Jewish-Ukrainian Relations. 20thCentury" (all in Ukrainian). His work is based on declassified KGB, CIA, Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and German archives along with memoirs. He focuses is mainly on historical events and personalities through the prism of Jewish-Ukrainian relations.

In this episode we look through the more troublesome history of Ukrainian-Jewish relations throughout the 20th century, including the widespread pogroms that occurred in the Russian Empire, the creation of the Ministry of Jewish Affairs under the Ukrainian People’s Republic, Symon Petliura’s stance on Jewish affairs, a look at Arnold Margolin (a very important Ukrainian-Jewish figure), Russian and Soviet attempts to create disunity among both ethnicities and a look into this current Russo-Ukrainian war.

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