It is a very overlooked part of history on our end...but not so on the Russian's end. U.S. Marines landed in Archangel as well. In addition, the Ukraine was trying to break away from Russia in the post-revolution chaos. A three-way civil war ensued between the Communists (Red Russians), Tzarist loyalists (White Russians) and Ukrainian Nationalists (often referred to as Denikins for their leader Simon Denekin). About the only thing the three groups seemed to agree upon was that between their battles, Jewish villages made for great target practice, although of the three, the Communists were the least culpable, with the Ukranians and White Russians being the worst offenders. By contrast, during the World War I, the German invaders did not partake of these activities and generally were considered "civilized" occupiers. That was why so many went so willingly to the concentration camps in World War II, as many had memories of the German occupation in World War I
On August 4, 1919 the Ukranians entered the villages of Sokolivka and nearby Canella, rounded up all the adult males, held them for ransom and then slaughtered them anyway. My great grandfather (and my namesake) had his son, brother and nephew taken. Amazingly, the brother and nephew survived. The brother took a sabre wound to the face and then "played possum", and carried the scar of the sabre on his face for the rest of his life. When the killing began, the nephew fell to the ground and began rolling down an embankment until he fell into the river. He floated downstream and emerged without a scratch!
It was the watershed event that made the village elders decide it was time to get out of Dodge. About 75% of the villagers went on to New York, finally arriving in 1921, which about 25% of them went to Palestine. As horrible as the pogrom was, it probably saved lives in the long term, as these villages would have been completely liquidated by the Nazis in World War II. I certainly would not have been around. Astoundingly, the Jewish cemetery at Sokolivka was untouched during World War II and still exists today.
As we watch events unfold in the Ukraine, all one has to do is to study the history of the region in the post-revolution times to truly grasp why the various parties involved are behaving in the manner that they are. One can only hope that we've learned from history's mistakes, but that is often the exception and not the rule.
Hey Guest!
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
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smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
