USA TODAY: Jews In East Ukraine ordered to register and List Their Property or Be Deported

Aimee Herd : Apr 17, 2014
Oren Dorell – USA Today

"…masked men were waiting for Jewish people after the Passover eve prayer, handed them the flyer and told them to obey its instructions." -Emanuel Shechter, through friends in Donetsk.

(Donetsk, Ukraine)—In a chilling throwback to the beginnings of the Holocaust, there has been disturbing news this week that pro-Russian militants—who've reportedly 'taken over' government buildings in Donetsk, Ukraine—are ordering Jews in the area to "register" with them. (Photo via USA Today)

According to Ynet News in a USA Today report, Jews who were coming out of a synagogue were handed leaflets ordering them to provide a list of their property and pay a registration fee "or else have their citizenship revoked, face deportation and see their assets confiscated."

The report noted that the leaflets bore the name of Denis Pushilin, who is calling himself the "chairman of Donetsk's temporary government." (Photo via USA Today)

The city of Donetsk in Ukraine has been dominated by certain Ukrainians "who are trying to make the city become part of Russia," according to reports.

One resident of Donetsk, Olga Reznikova, 32, told Ynet News that she had not experienced any anti-Semitism there until she received the leaflet.

"We don't know if these notifications were distributed by pro-Russian activists or someone else, but it's serious that it exists," Said Reznikova, adding that "The text reminds of the fascists in 1941."