"At the time of the proclamation of Ukrainian independence, the Jews were divided into two camps. On the one side were the Jewish assimilators, who had been brought up in an All-Russian political atmosphere, and who adopted a negative attitude towards the formation of the Ukrainian State. This party, which numerically was not important, was supported by a number of Jewish refugees from old Russia. On the other side were ranged the National Jews, the Zionists, Itoists, and Jewish Socialist parties, who took up a favourable attitude. Those Jews who had national aspirations of their own could not but view with favour similar strivings on the part of a people which had hitherto lived in a position of tutelage. The principles laid down by President Wilson as to the rights of small nations were bound to be applied to the Ukrainian people. So far as the social programme of the State was concerned, the Jews were also divided into two camps. One group, which was not very numerous, went hand in hand with the advanced parties of the Left, which aimed at the exclusion of the bourgeoisie from State affairs. To this group belonged the left wing of the Bund and the Poalei-Zion. The other group took up the standpoint of those Ukrainian parties who supported the principles of a general franchise and who sought to apply to the Ukraine the political system which obtains in Western Europe. They eschewed Utopian experiments and Maximalist aspirations. Although there were these differences in regard to the social and economic conditions involved in the creation of the Ukrainian State, nearly all Jewish parties and organizations were united on the question of the right of the Ukrainian people to determine their ultimate political destiny on popular lines."
Jewish Autonomy
What was the attitude of the Ukrainian authorities towards the Jews? our representative asked.
' ' In the Ukraine, including Galicia, there are three and one-half million Jews, as compared with nearly forty millions of the general population. The Jews thus form nearly eight per cent of the total inhabitants. On the initiation of the new regime, a Central Representative Parliament was formed, composed of all parties in the country, including the Jews. About seventy per cent of the seats on this body were held by Ukrainians proper, the remainder being allocated to representatives of the Jews, the Poles, and Russians. This Parliamentary body showed its willingness to grant more concessions to Jews than had any other constituent assembly in history. It conceded autonomy to all minorities in the State, and three Ministers were appointed for the affairs of these minorities, including the Jews. A noteworthy act of the parliament was to appoint a Court of Cassation, those judges being selected who had had the courage to oppose the Russian Government in the Beilis trial. In April, 1918, I was almost unanimously selected as a member of this Court."
Dr. Margolin further describes the changes which took place when the original Ukrainian Government was overthrown, and superseded by the Government of Hetman Skoropadsky :