By JTA
The Anti-Defamation League urged Congress on Thursday not to remove trade restrictions on Ukraine.
The organization said anti-Semitism persists at "worrying levels" in Ukraine, and thus the country should be denied normal trade relations.
"We expect more from democratic states than we do from totalitarian ones," ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said. "This year alone has seen a steep increase in acts of violence and vandalism against Jews across Ukraine."
The Senate passed a bill last month, graduating Ukraine from trade restrictions placed on former Soviet countries in 1974, because of human rights and emigration concerns.
Other Jewish organizations, such as NCSJ, have supported Ukraine's graduation from restrictions.