On September 29th, 2022, the Russian-language outlet Ukraina.ru published an article titled: “Anti-Semitism in Ukraine: Hasids banned from a gas station.” According to the article, Hasidic Jews were refused service at the OKKO gas station near Yavoriv, Lviv region. Several Facebook users (1,2,3,4) also published the same video with identical descriptions in Georgian and Russian. According to the attached description, “Ukrainian supermarket banned Jews from entering and buying goods.” The video shows a group of Jews unable to enter the building while other people nearby have no problem entering.
The claim that a Ukrainian supermarket in Lviv Oblast banned Jews from buying products is manipulative. In fact, the disseminated video was shot at one of the OKKO gas stations, and according to the company, the cause of the incident was a queue at the men’s restroom, which is why the manager started to close the door without further explanation. The company condemned this action of the employee and scolded him.
The video was published on September 29th, 2022, on the official telegram channel of the organization “United Jewish Community of Ukraine” (UJCU).
According to the description attached by the organization, Hasidic Jews were refused service on national and religious grounds at the OKKO gas station near the city of Yavoriv, Lviv region, which is a violation of the equality of citizens regardless of racial, national, regional, religious and other differences. Moreover, according to the Law on Prevention and Resistance of Anti-Semitism in Ukraine, the mentioned action is a manifestation of anti-Semitism. The UJCU also claimed that they were informed about this case by the Rabbi Nachman Foundation.
The organization wrote about the incident on the evening of September 29th one more time. This time, the organization published an explanation by OKKO.
According to the explanation, many people gathered at the gas station in Lviv region at the same time, and there was a chaotic queue to enter the men’s restroom, because of which, after asking customers to enter in small groups, the manager behaved incorrectly and began to close the door of the trading hall without giving further explanations. According to OKKO, the manager was reprimanded for this action. The company apologized for the behaviour of the employee. The UJCU organization thanked the company for the timely and constructive explanation and noted that it is a tolerant state where citizens have equal rights regardless of nationality and religion.
September 29th marked 81 years since the massacre of Babi Yar, which took place during the Holocaust in Ukraine. On September 25-27th, many Jews visited Ukraine to celebrate the traditional holiday of Rosh Shahana. “Myth Detector” fact-checked the disinformation and conspiratorial claims of anti-Semitic content about the said event. For details, see:
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