As
a bureau defending the interests of the
community, UNIS also challenges
misinformation about Ukrainians and confronts
ethnic slurs where and when they occur. When,
in the spring of 1999, State Department
spokesperson James Rubin defamed the
community by stating that, "They (the
Kosovars) are not going to go back to their
homes after suffering these terrible
atrocities if a bunch of Ukrainians are
running around with guns on their sides,"
UNIS’ action was swift and direct. The
office demanded an apology and issued an
Action Item to the community. An immediate
apology was rendered by James Rubin to the
community as a result of the hundreds of
angry protest letters which flooded the State
Department demanding his resignation.
UNIS
monitors the State Department’s yearly "Ukraine
Country Report on Human Rights Practices"
which, in the past, has made reference to
"deep-seated societal anti-Semitism in
Ukraine." To correct this gross
misrepresentation of all Ukrainians, UNIS
established a common dialogue with the Jewish
community leadership in the United States.
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