The Book of the Righteous Among the Nations of Ukraine is a joint project of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine (JCU) and the Israeli Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Complex, which will be implemented to mark the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy.
This was announced on Facebook by ESA president Boris Lozhkin.
Jewish Saviors began to be called Righteous Among the Nations only in 1953, when the law on the creation of Yad Vashem was adopted in Israel, and since 1963, the Yad Vashem memorial on behalf of the state of Israel and the Jewish people began to award this honorary title to those non-Jewish rescuers whose feat could be documented or based on the testimony of the rescued and their relatives.
In terms of the number of righteous people, Ukraine currently ranks fourth in the world. The JCU president writes, "however, two important factors should be taken into account. First, the set of criteria for awarding the title of the righteous is very strict. Secondly, the main stage of establishing the facts of salvation occurred during the Soviet period of Ukraine's history, when state anti-Semitism was particularly strong. Therefore, many rescue stories have remained undocumented."
The book will list all 2,659 Righteous Among the Nations from Ukraine, who are currently officially recognized by the Yad Vashem special commission headed by a representative of the Supreme Court of Israel. In addition, the book will also contain photos of many righteous people and their stories of the rescue of the Jews.