A Ukrainian military brigade has neo-Nazi roots. Why have some Jewish groups pulled back their criticism of the unit?

In its existential struggle against Russian invaders, Ukraine has elevated some problematic heroes with fascist origins. The country’s allies, including Jewish leaders and Western politicians, have largely downplayed or denied this phenomenon since Putin’s 2022 invasion. Larry Cohler-Esses, who has traveled to the region, reports for us this morning…

History: The Azov Brigade was established by far-right Ukrainian nationalists in 2014 in response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea. It was founded by Andriy Biletsky — a neo-Nazi. Biletsky left the group in 2016, and the brigade’s spokespeople say its fascist roots have withered.

Numbers: Today, the brigade itself has an estimated 2,500 active soldiers. This is a tiny fraction of Ukraine’s 1.3 million active fighters, reservists, and police and paramilitary forces. But Azov’s ferocity in battle has won it fame and recognition far beyond its numbers.

Debate: The Anti-Defamation League, which in 2019 said the group has “ties to neo-Nazis,” has softened its assessment of the group since Russia’s invasion. Meanwhile, some of the unit’s critics worry that a clash over the group may lend credence to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s false narrative that Ukraine itself is a Nazi state and its army a fascist force.

ALSO IN THE FORWARD

Herbert Sussan, right, with fellow soldier Dan Dyer at the remaining arch of a cathedral in Nagasaki. (Courtesy)

Her father documented the devastation at Nagasaki and Hiroshima — now she’s considered an honorary second-generation survivor: Leslie Sussan calls herself “a loudmouth New York Quaker Jew.” With Oppenheimer in theaters and the anniversary of the atomic bombs this week, she recalls the decades-long effort to declassify the footage her father took. “Why did he see the suffering and human pain where most of his compatriots saw only well-earned victory?” she asked. Read the story ➤

Opinion | My way or my way: Netanyahu’s PR strategy gamble: “Bibi repeatedly uses his power to appear infallible at home, open-minded abroad and willing to take any action needed to overcome the opposition,” write Karen J. Kessler and Warren E. Cooper, who both work in crisis management. “This approach energizes his supporters, and eschews his naysayers.” Read the essay ➤

William Friedkin, the Jewish hand behind one of the most famous explorations of Christian evil, The Exorcist, died at the age of 87: When we asked him in 2016 if he’d ever considered making a Holocaust film, he replied: “If I were able to do anything about that it would be about the Germans and the madness that overtook a sophisticated, intelligent population. To me, it was demonic possession on a massive scale.” Read the obituary ➤

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Kanye West performing at the 2019 Coachella music festival in California. (Getty)

?  Kanye West performed publicly for the first time since going on a series of antisemitic rants in the fall of 2022, joining his ex-brother-in-law, rapper Travis Scott, on stage Monday at Scott’s concert in Rome. (Page Six)

?  Ghislaine Maxwell, sentenced to 20 years for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex abuse ring, is using her Jewish ancestry to receive better food and more time off work in prison. (JTA)

?‍❤️‍?  Israel recognized the marriage of a female couple who fled Russia, potentially setting a precedent for Israel’s immigration authority to recognize other same-sex couples. (Haaretz)

??  Germany has a “Meet a Jew” program to help break down barriers among its citizens. But in one instance, a man posed as a Jew and peddled antisemitic stereotypes. (JTA)

?  Two employees – one agnostic and one atheist – were fired for refusing to participate in daily Christian prayers at their workplace. The employees sued and have now won a total of $50,000. (Religion News Service)

??  A temporary museum exhibit this week in New York City tells the story of the 20,000 Jews who escaped the Holocaust by fleeing to Shanghai. (NPR)

Mazel tov ➤  To Sylvan Adams, a billionaire Jewish philanthropist, for winning the cycling world championship in Scotland in the 65-69 age group.

Shiva calls ➤  Harvey Meyerhoff, chair of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum at its founding, died at 96 … Rhoda Karpatkin, who led Consumer Reports magazine for decades, died at 93.

What else we’re reading ➤  Rhea Perlman is the quintessential Jewish matriarch in Barbie … The Jewish violinist who saved Carnegie Hall from the brink of destruction … Why so many American Jews grew up drinking Swee-Touch-Nee Tea.

ON THE CALENDAR

A picture of the famous Abbey Road crossing at a 2009 Beatles exhibit in Germany. (Getty)

On this day in history (1969): The Beatles took the iconic photo that would become the Abbey Road album cover. Photographer Iain MacMillan stood on a ladder, holding up traffic for 10 minutes, to capture the band walking the zebra crossing outside their recording studio. The band’s 11th studio album captivated fans worldwide, including a Jewish doctor in Florida who opened a museum of Beatles memorabilia.

In honor of International Cat Day, check out this story about an Orthodox New Yorker who is caring for the city’s feral felines.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

(Getty)

Athletes competed in the women’s steeplechase competition at the European Athletics Under 20 Championships in Jerusalem on Monday.

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Thanks to Laura E. Adkins, Jacob Kornbluh, Rebecca Salzhauer and Talya Zax for contributing to today’s newsletter. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at [email protected].