Vice President Joe Biden is in Kyiv, Ukraine today, on the one year anniversary of the start of the Maidan independence protests.

 

In meetings with President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, he said sanctions against Russia will continue until it stops fueling the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. He also promised more U.S. and international aid to Ukraine's economy, as it undertakes reforms. The Weekly Update include the full White House fact sheet detailing the U.S. commitments to Ukraine.

 

Unfortunately, reports from Ukraine have also disclosed two new disturbing anti-Semitic incidents. On Monday, a children's tour group found swastikas painted on the Babi Yar Holocaust memorial in Kyiv, and late last week, a Jewish school in Kharkiv was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti. Ukrainian authorities have opened investigations into both cases.

 

This week's update includes several opinion pieces following up on the 10th Anniversary OSCE Conference on Anti-Semitism in Berlin, which concluded last week. U.S. Special Envoy for Combating Anti-Semitism Ira Forman and commentator Deborah Lipstadt both present troubling warnings about an uncertain future for European Jewry.

 

Also in the news, after a shakeup this month in Georgia's ruling coalition sparked concerns about its democratic stability, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with EU and NATO officials this week to reaffirm Georgia's commitment to European integration and to partnering with NATO.

 

I had the opportunity to speak this week at the Embassy of Kazakhstan's Sixth Annual Interfaith Dinner Dialogue for U.S. Religious Leaders. Kazakhstan has been a strong proponent of religious dialogue, and the dinner was a great occasion for Jews, Christians, and Muslims to come together and celebrate diversity and tolerance.

Sincerely,