KIEV, Ukraine -- A Jewish community in Ukraine says nationalist groups are seeking to thwart the construction of a synagogue and have erected crosses on the site.

The chief rabbi of the southern city of Poltava says a group of nationalist activists have put up seven wooden Orthodox crosses on land allocated by local authorities for the synagogue.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Segal said Tuesday it was a provocation aimed at stirring religious hatred in the city. No group has claimed responsibility.

Jewish groups complain that anti-Semitism persists in Ukraine and there is little respect for Jewish cemeteries and memorial sites.

© 2008 The Associated Press

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