In 1917, we were already worried about Russia’s designs on Ukraine, and “Zionism” was also on our mind.

Despite claims by Russia, its sympathizers, and so-called “Realists,” Ukraine was neither an inextricable part of Russia nor some kind of fake, made-up nation. It had flipped back and forth among various empires for centuries, and while much of it was ruled by the Russian Empire, Ukraine retained a distinct identity. Parts of it had varying degrees of autonomy, and while some regions were under Russian control, Ukraine was never, ever “part of Russia.”

Furthermore, Western Ukraine (Galicia, Lviv) was never under Russian control until 1939, having belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I. As soon as the czar was overthrown in 1917, one of the first actions taken by Ukrainian leadership was to declare independence — stepping away from the entire rotten structure and trying to make a go of it on their own.

R.M. Brinkerhoff, a cartoonist publishing in the New York Evening Mail, was also concerned that Russian imperialism might crush Jewish hopes for independence, as indicated in the cartoon. Like many progressives of his era, he sympathized with oppressed and stateless peoples, Jews among them, who were striving for recognition and sovereignty.

It’s remarkable to see that the issues we were grappling with in the first quarter of the last century are exactly the same ones we’re grappling with now, with a few more added in for good measure.