To our community members, 

While we are sure most all of you are aware of the events that took place last Friday in the House of Commons, what is less known is how these events tie to our local community in Edmonton. While we understand that both apologies and responsibility have been undertaken by the individuals responsible for having Yaroslav Hunka honoured in Parliament, this is not a time we can remain silent given the ongoing antisemitism our community faces. 

In 2019, a $30,000 endowment fund had been set up at the University of Alberta to the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies in Yaroslav Hunka’s name by members of his family. We received confirmation that this endowment has been returned to the donor. This is a bold move from the U of A and we thank them for their swift decision and unequivocal action. We look forward to continued conversations on behalf of our community with university leadership about their commitment to addressing antisemitism. 

Additionally, there is the matter of the two statues located in Edmonton. There is a memorial to the Ukrainian members of the Nazi Waffen SS 14th Galicia Division at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Edmonton. A statue of Roman Shukhevych’s bust is on display outside the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in north Edmonton. These statues glorify the same Galacia 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the Schutzstaffel (SS) that Mr. Hunka was a member of as well as other Ukrainians who have been implicated in the murders of Jews. We have decided that now is the time for us to make the decisive action of asking that these statues be removed or moved to a location where they can be used to educate the public about the atrocities committed by the individuals who were glorified, together with the appropriate context given. While we fully recognize the Ukrainian community right of self-determination in honouring who they see fit, given recent events, we can no longer sit on the sidelines and allowed the continued glorification of known Nazis and Nazi ideology.  

We have issued a press release to the media, which now on our website. We continue to work on this file with our advocacy agent, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and plan to meet with elected officials to discuss our community concerns. We will keep the community updated about any developments.  

Steve Shafir and Adam Zepp

Co-chairs, Community Relations Committee

Jewish Federation of Edmonton