Symon Petliura Assassinated for Pogroms (1926)

Tue May 25, 1926

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On this day in 1926, Jewish anarchist Sholem Schwarzbard assassinated Symon Petliura, President of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and leader of its army, for his role in Jewish pogroms, stating “I have killed a great assassin”.

According to Jewish historian Peter Kenez, “before the advent of Hitler, the greatest mass murder of Jews occurs in the Ukraine in the course of the Civil War. All participants in the conflict were guilty of murdering Jews, even the Bolsheviks; however the Volunteer Army had the largest number of victims.”

The number of Jews killed during the period is estimated to be between 35,000 and 50,000. A total of 1,236 violent attacks on Jews had been recorded between 1918 and 1921 in Ukraine.

The role of Petliura in those pogroms is controversial. While Petliura actively sought to halt anti-Jewish violence on numerous occasions, including the punishment capital punishment for the crime of pogroming, it is also documented that he was afraid to punish officers and soldiers engaged in crimes against Jews for fear of losing their support.

Schwarzbard was a Jewish anarchist living in Paris, becoming acquainted with other anarchist activists who had emigrated from Russia and Ukraine, including figures such as Volin, Alexander Berkman, Emma Goldman, and Nestor Makhno.

At the same time, Petliura was living in Paris in exile. On May 25th, 1926, Schwarzbard approached Petliura and asked him in Ukrainian, “Are you Mr. Petliura?” Petliura did not answer but raised his cane in response.

Schwartzbard pulled out a gun, shooting him seven times. At the trial, survivors of the pogroms testified that they were brutalized by soldiers who claimed to be acting on orders from Petliura. After eight days, Schwarzbard was acquitted.