On January 27, we celebrate the day of remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust - events that went down in the history of Ukraine as one of the most terrible tragedies.
The Holocaust is a term used to describe the genocide of Jews and other vulnerable social groups during World War II. The soldiers of the Third Reich and their allies actively persecuted and exterminated not only Jews, but also homosexuals, prisoners of war, people with disabilities and mental illnesses, as well as anyone whom the Nazis recognized as "inferior".
International Holocaust Remembrance Day, established on January 27, is aimed at honoring the memory of those who became innocent victims of this terrible tragedy, as well as highlighting the crimes of the Nazis. It is especially important for Ukrainians to remember this terrible period, as a result of which about 1.5 million people lost their lives in our country.
The Holocaust is the horrific persecution and systematic extermination of Jews and other social groups that was organized by Nazi Germany and their allies during World War II. During the entire period of the Holocaust, approximately six million Jews lost their lives, which was approximately one third of the world's Jewish population.
Nazi troops also exterminated about a quarter of the world's Gypsy population, three million Soviet prisoners of war (including Ukrainians), as well as thousands of mentally ill people, homosexuals, Ukrainian nationalists, partisans, refugees from the occupied territories, and numerous other victims.
People whom the Nazis considered "inferior" were held in special concentration camps known as "death camps". Conditions of detention, malnutrition and lack of medical care led to the fact that many of the prisoners did not live to the moment of execution. Terrible experiments were conducted in concentration camps, and Jews were forcibly sterilized. One of the largest Nazi concentration camps was "Auschwitz" in the Polish city of Auschwitz.
In the occupied territories, the Nazis searched for and shot Jews in cooperation with collaborators. In Ukraine, one of the most famous places of mass executions was the tract of Babyn Yar, next to which the Syretskyi concentration camp was located. The exact number of victims of Babi Yar is unknown, there are various estimates from 70 to 150 thousand people. Today, there is a memorial complex commemorating the victims of the Holocaust at this place.
Not only Jews suffered in Babi Yar. The Nazis also executed patients of the Kyiv psychiatric hospital, Ukrainian nationalists, underground and prisoners of war. Even children were not spared a terrible disaster. According to information, the famous Ukrainian poet Olena Teliga died in Babyny Yar along with her fellow journalists (the exact date and circumstances of her death remain unknown). During the entire Second World War, only 29 survivors of Babyn Yar managed to escape.
Holocaust Remembrance Day, designated by the UN General Assembly since November 1, 2005, is celebrated annually on January 27. By participating in the signing of the relevant document, Ukraine also joined this important initiative step.
The chosen date is not accidental - on January 27, 1945, soldiers of the 1st Ukrainian Front freed prisoners from the largest Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz. In connection with this event, the memory of the victims of the Holocaust is commemorated every year on this day.
Usually, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorative events are held in Babyny Yar, and flowers and candles are brought to Holocaust memorials in various cities. However, in 2024, due to the full-scale war in Ukraine, mass events will not be held to ensure security.
On this day, online presentations and other information events are planned, aimed at honoring the memory of those who became victims of the Holocaust.
