PROBLEMS OF RECOGNITION AS RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS (THE CASE OF METROPOLITAN ANDREI SHEPTYTSKYI)

The article is devoted to analysis the refusal by the State of Israel to grant Andrei Sheptytsky the title the Righteous among the nations, taking into account the historical, political and ethical aspects of the Holocaust and the Second World War. The criteria for determining and peculiarities of the legal status of the Righteous Among the Peoples of the World are determined in accordance with the laws of the State of Israel. An estimation of the attitude of Andrey Sheptytsky to the communist and Nazi totalitarian regimes is given. The work of Andrei Sheptytsky concerning the rescue of the Jewish population from the Nazi persecution has been explored and the reasons for his non-recognition as the Righteous among the nations has been analyzed. The analysis of the criteria for granting the status of the Righteous Among the Peoples of the World suggests that the activities of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky correspond to the above norms. The reason for Yad Vashem's refusal to grant Andrei Sheptytsky the title of the Righteous among the nations is cooperation with the occupation of the Nazi regime, the greetings of the Hitler Army in Lviv, contacts with the German leadership. Sheptytsky's person can not be considered beyond the historical context. The reasons for Sheptytsky's sympathy with the German authorities are anti-Ukrainian and the repression of Soviet power and the desire to minimize the devastating consequences of occupation for Ukrainians. Metropolitan's views survived the evolution from a favorable attitude to the Nazi regime until the complete rejection of its antihuman nature, which resulted in concrete actions to counter the Holocaust. The treatment of Andrei Sheptytsky's person is based on the Soviet myth, which contributes to stereotyping the image of the metropolitan in the world as a guide to the Nazi regime. Thus, the reasons for refusal to grant the Scheptytsky title of the Righteous among the nations are of a political nature. Andrei Sheptytsky and his attitude toward the Jews are a symbol of the complex ethical dilemma, the dynamics of the views and responsibilities for their mistakes.