Heritage Defense Committee places paid ads in Times, Post (04/16/95)

Heritage Defense Committee places paid ads in Times, Post

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee has placed quarter-page paid advertisements in the April 3 editions of The New York Times (on its Op-Ed Page) and The Washington Post (on its Federal Page) to protest the gross inaccuracies and defamation contained in a "60 Minutes" report focusing on alleged anti-Semitism in Ukraine.

In addition, the same ad appeared on a full page in the April 10 issue of the weekly national edition of The Washington Post

The advertisement, headlined: "Hate-mongering by CBS? The Truth vs. "60 Minutes," notes that the "60 Minutes" report misrepresented history, engaged in crude stereotyping and depicted anomalies in present-day Ukraine as if they were representative of mainstream society. CBS also neglected to mention current Ukrainian government policies that guarantee national minority rights for all citizens and residents of the country.

Called "The Ugly Face of Freedom," the report was broadcast on the October 23, 1994, and, according to Nielsen Media Research, it reached more than 17.5 million households.

In conjunction with its advertisement, the Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee. which functions under the aegis of the Ukrainian National Association, sent a press kit to some 100 major news media outlets.

In a cover letter accompanying that information kit, the UHDC pointed out that both The New York Times and The Washington Post have recently published timely and informative news stories about the revival of Jewish life in Ukraine.

The New York Times story, headlined "Out of Ukraine;s Torment, A Jewish Flowering" (January 6, 1995, by Jane Perlez), noted, "the lively revival of Judaism since Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991."

The Washington Post article, "Ukrainian Jews Glory in Religion's Revival" (March 28, 1995, by James Rupert) carried a subhead reading: "With Decades of Repression Ended, Synagogues and Schools Flourish." It pointed out that "three years after the Soviet Union's collapse, synagogues and Jewish schools and social programs are sprouting again in Kyyiv, Lviv, Odessa and other cities."

"These stories bear witness to the distortions aired by CBS," the Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee noted in its letter.

The press kit includes: a copy of the advertisement now being placed in U.S. newspapers; a press release about the Ukrainian American community's efforts to obtain a retraction from CBS; reaction from Jewish and Ukrainian leaders in the U.S. and Ukraine to the report; and an analysis of the allegations made by "60 Minutes" countered by the facts. Also included are supporting documents: statements by President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine regarding Jewish life in his country; and a letter of protest to CBS from the chief rabbi of Ukraine, Yaakov Bleich.

Nestor Olesnycky, chairman of the Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee, said he has already received much favorable reaction to the advertisement (which appears in this issue as well as last week's issue of The Weekly) from Ukrainian and non-Ukrainians alike. In addition, he said he was interviewed about the ad by a St. Louis radio station. Previously he was interviewed by a reporter for the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain who was working on a TV Guide story about fairness in media.

He told The Ukrainian Weekly that the UHDC had spent 90 percent of the donations it had collected for its campaign to counter the effects of the CBS report. The costs to place the advertisement were: $18,000 for The Times, $17,000 for the Post, and $2,900 for The Post's weekly edition.

The next step, he and Vice-Chairman Leonard Mazur agreed, is to place to ads in local newspapers as well as in local Jewish American newspapers. The aim of the latter, he underlined, is to open a dialogue with Jewish American readers and to inform them of the truth about Jewish life in independent Ukraine.

Thus, the Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee is continuing its fund-raising efforts. Donations may be sent to the UHDC at the Ukrainian National Association, 30 Montgomery St., Jersey City, N.J. 07302.

The UHDC has noted that camera ready copies of the advertisement prepared by its press subcommittee are available to local Ukrainian community groups that would like to place such ads in their local press. For information, contact Oksana Trytjak at the Ukrainian National Association, (201) 451-2200.

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