Mila Kunis has had a big couple of years in Hollywood; apart from being one of the most in-demand actresses in the business, she earned accolades for her performance in “Black Swan” and was named “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire Magazine for 2012.
But for all her successes, she does have detractors. Unfortunately, one of them has announced himself through an anti-semitic slur aimed at the young actress on a Facebook post. Ukrainian lawmaker Igor Miroshnichenko wrote a rant about Kunis, calling her a “zhydovka”–a term which translates to “dirty Jewess“–because he thinks she is not a true Ukrainian (she moved to the U.S. with her family at the age of seven). The term was often used during the Holocaust and has caused quite a bit of controversy as to whether it’s acceptable to use against a Jewish person.
“The last time this term was used in any official way was during the Nazi occupation, when the Jews or ‘Zhyds’ of Kiev were ordered to convene in preparation for their mass murder at Babi Yar,” Eduard Dolinsky, director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, said. “The Justice Ministry and politicians should adjust their definitions and language according to what Ukrainian Jews consider offensive, and we find the word ‘zhyd’ to be just that.”
Some sources in Ukraine, however, claim that the term is merely another word for “Jew” and should not be thought of as a slur. The ministry has acknowledged that the word should not be used in official government communications.