Ukraine appoints first Jewish Prime Minister

Ukraine have appointed the country’s first Jewish Prime Minister this week, writes Natasha Sporn. 

Vlodymir Groysman, 38, became Prime Minister on Thursday following Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s resignation.

The 38-year-old from Vinnytsia used to be the speaker for the Parliament before the house voted him to the top job 257-50 and was officially appointed by President Petro Poroshenko. His political career began at 28 when he was appointed Mayor of Vinnytsia – making him the country’s then-youngest mayor.

He also has strong ties with Israel through his father’s family in Ashdod.

Josef Zissles – leader of VAAD Ukrainian Jews organisation – said Groysman’s appointment shows ‘the absence of serious anti-Semitism in Ukraine’, as cited by Haaretz.

Mr Groysman has previously spoken about how his grandfather Issac survived the Holocaust when he pretended to be dead after Nazi’s threw him into a mass grave.

On Holocaust Memorial Day, January 27, parliament held a minute’s silence for victims of the atrocities at Groysman’s request.