Member of Anti-Semitic Political Party in Ukraine Calls Mila Kunis a “Dirty Jewess”
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Igor Miroshnichenko Korrespondent Magazine Mila Kunis Mila Kunis dirty Jewess Mila Kunis slur Mila Kunis zhydovka Oleh Tyahnybok Svoboda anti-Semitism Ukraine anti semitism Ukraine Facebook
Actress Mila Kunis. Photo: Gage Skidmore
A Ukranian politician has caused a stir by referring to actress Mila Kunis as a “zhydovka”–a Ukranian slur that translates to “dirty Jewess.”
The politician Igor Miroshnichenko included the slur in a Facebook rant in which he said that Kunis– who was born in the Ukraine– is not a true Ukrainian.
Miroshnichenko wrote: “She is not Ukrainian, she is a Jewess by birth. She is proud of this and the Star of David. But she says nothing and expresses nothing positive about the country in which she was born. I can’t bring myself to say she is Ukrainian. Let her love America or Israel, people must not attach her to the Ukraine!”
Miroshnichenko is one of the most powerful politicians in Svoboda, a right-wing political party known for its anti-Semitic views. The leader of the party, Oleh Tyahnybok, was recently named “Personality of the Year” by the country’s respected Korrespondent magazine. The magazine does not endorse Tyahnybok or his views, but 40 percent of its readers nominated Tyahnybok.
In the article Tyahnybok’s politics are compared to that of the Nazi party, with emphasis on his xenophobia, anti-Semitism and strongly nationalist views.
According to Israel Hayom, in elections at the end of November Svoboda won 37 seats in the Ukrainian parliament. His party’s members soon drew attention for their anti-Semitic stance. For instance, the party claims that the word, “zhid,” a derogatory word for Jew, is an acceptable word.
The Simon Weisenthal Center sent a letter to the Ukranian Government to “express our outrage and indignation against the slanders of the Svoboda Party directed against the Jewish community in the Ukraine.”
In the letter, Rabbi Marvin Hier explains … the term “zhydovka” translates to “dirty Jewess” … and was used as an “insidious slur invoked by the Nazis and their collaborators as they rounded up the Jews to murder them at Babi Yar and in the death camps.”
12:54 pm
It’s bit funny & sad this has caused a fuss, because in USA she recently said in interview she dislikes the Republicans, because, they support Christianity & stated it’s offensive that they talk about Jesus! Err, did she not notice that the USA population is nominally & numerically a Christian country? That statement didn’t generate too much fuss in broader USA media, but to make doubly sure, this storm in a teacup will ensure that cluncker is forgotten & a trusty old antisemitism story carries the day!
8:01 am
There is a difference in spelling and also in meaning between the term Zhidovka and Zhydivka. One is an anti-semitic slur in Russian and the other a standard ethnonym for a woman of Jewish ethnicity in Ukrainian.
It seems that Mr Pontz doesn’t know the difference
5:16 pm
The proper and fully normal word for “Jew” in Polish, Slovak, Czech as well as some other Slavic languages, including Ukrainian, is: Zhyd (spellings vary, of course). Zhid is a derogatory word only in Russian . Therefore what Mr. Myroshnychenko (Miroshnichenko is the Russian transliteration which is WRONG), said was not offensive nor meant to be. The fact that he said she was not Ukrainian is correct in terms of ethnicity and citizenship. Ms. Kunis has on more than one occasion said that she is Jewish not Ukrainian and her Ukrainophobic views are quite well known.
Rabbi Marvin Hier should be ashamed of himself for writing such lies. First of all Myroshnychenko did not called Kunis a “zhydovka”, this is a Russian word. And if he meant that Myroshnychenko called her a “zhydivka”, that word certainly does not mean “dirty Jewess”. Again, it is the proper term for Jewess and has no negative connotations. In fact, the article’s translation of what Mr. Myroshnychenko said is pretty close and “Jewess” is correct, not “dirty Jewess”.
As for bringing the Holocaust into the equation, this is completely stupid and Rabbi Marvin Hier should be completely ashamed of himself. I am sure the Nazis used the word “Jude” much more often at Babi Yar and other death camps. Jude is, of course, the correct word for Jew in German. So, shouldn’t Rabbi Marvin Hier write complaint letters to the Germans every time they use the word “Jude”?? Pretty stupid don’t you think?
10:28 pm
It is not true that the word “Zhyd” is derogatory only in Russian. It was and it IS still used as a derogatory racist slur in today’s Ukraine. The slur is relevant when it is intended as a slur and Mr. Myroshnychenko meant it exactly this way. http://korrespondent.net/ukraine/politics/1431030-svobodovec-miroshnichenko-nazval-gollivudskuyu-aktrisu-zhidovkoj-i-poprosil-ne-lepit-ee-k-ukraine
It is no surprise that Jewish families (including Kunis) fled Ukraine to avoid rabid anti-semitism as propagated by likes of Svoboda. It is very unfortunate that so-called Ukrainian diaspora in the US and in Canada seems to support anti-semitic hatred of “true” Ukrainians back in their ancestral homeland.
And, by the way, Germans killing Jews in Babiy Yar did use Jude. But their helpers: local Ukrainians used Zhyd when machine gunning innocent Jewish victims. And all this is supported by historical facts, alas disputed by Holocaust deniers. Sounds familiar, Bob?
5:38 am
Certainly it is an honor to be a Jew.
We wish enlightenment onto anyone
who feels otherwise.
9:24 pm
If she wasn’t Jewish, he would be most proud that she was born in Ukrain and refer to her as a Ukrainian, whether she did or not. He is nothing but an ignorant anti-semite.
8:38 pm
Outside of the Muslim world, the Ukraine ranks a close second for the vicious antisemetism of its people….The fact that this ignorant Ukrainian is an antisemite is no surprise…The surprise would be..
As in the Muslim world…to find a person who is not an antisemite
7:59 pm
Your a bigotted idiot Mr Sheman
8:31 am
And on the basis of what evidence do you make such a supposition Mr Sherman?
5:20 pm
kill the bastards