Kyiv synagogue assures Sheptytsky allegedly hated Nazism
Asman's speech. Photo: Asman's Facebook
On July 29, 2025, an event dedicated to the 160th anniversary of UGCC Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky was held at the Kyiv synagogue, reports Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Asman on Facebook.
The meeting was attended by UGCC representatives, diplomats, scholars, and well-known public figures. As Asman said, "all those who recognize the importance of Metropolitan Sheptytsky's figure, especially in our dark times".
Participants of the event "honored his memory with words and memories" and "solemnly unveiled a commemorative plaque on a chestnut tree planted in his honor near the synagogue".
According to the rabbi, Sheptytsky "hated Nazism with all his heart and fully understood what this ideology could lead humanity to".
At the same time, there are documents in which Sheptytsky welcomed the Nazi occupation in every possible way. In particular, in a letter to Hitler in 1941, Sheptytsky wrote: "As the head of the UGCC, I convey to Your Excellency my heartfelt congratulations on the capture of the capital of Ukraine, the golden-domed city on the Dnipro - Kyiv!.. We see in you the invincible commander of the incomparable and glorious German army. The task of destroying and eradicating Bolshevism, which you, the Führer of the Great German Reich, have set as your goal in this campaign, ensures Your Excellency the gratitude of the entire Christian world. The UGCC knows the true significance of the mighty movement of the German people under your leadership… I will pray to God for the blessing of victory, which will guarantee lasting peace for Your Excellency, the German Army, and the German People".
In an address to the congregation, Sheptytsky wrote: "We greet the victorious German army, which has already occupied almost the entire region, with joy and gratitude for liberation from the enemy. At this important historical moment, I urge you, fathers and brothers… to hold a thanksgiving service on the nearest Sunday upon receiving this call and after the hymn 'Te Deum' to proclaim many years to the German army and the Ukrainian people».
As reported, in 2020, the chairman of the board of the Israeli Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Institute "Yad Vashem" Avner Shalev, responding to Moshe Asman's appeal in an official letter, stated that Sheptytsky "welcomed the German occupiers in 1941, encouraging Ukrainians to unite their forces with them".
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