Chief Rabbi of Ukraine to help search for evidence to recognize Andrey Sheptytsky as Righteous Among the Nations
The chief Rabbi of Ukraine will help in finding additional evidence for the recognition of Metropolitan Andrey as the Righteous Among the Nations. This was discussed during a meeting of the city Chairman of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi with the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Jewish Religious Communities, Moshe Reuven Azman. Thus, the latter will join a special Public Council organized in Lviv to search for additional evidence for the recognition of Metropolitan Andrey as the Righteous Among the Nations.
The chief Rabbi of Ukraine will help in finding additional evidence for the recognition of Metropolitan Andrey as the Righteous Among the Nations. This was discussed during a meeting of the city Chairman of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi with the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Jewish Religious Communities, Moshe Reuven Asman. Thus, the latter will join a special Public Council organized in Lviv to search for additional evidence for the recognition of Metropolitan Andrey as the Righteous Among the Nations, Galinfo reports on February 19, citing the LCC press service.
The day before, the Chief Rabbi sent a letter to the Yad Vashem memorial center with a request to “help restore historical justice to Metropolitan Andrey” and to confer on him the honorary title of Righteous Among the Nations. However, the Special Commission refused them and noted that they are ready to re-consider the appeal if they are provided with documents and certificates that are still unknown, covering the activities of Andrei Sheptytsky during the war. Therefore, the Mayor of Lviv proposed to set up a Public Council in the city, which will search for additional evidence and documents testifying to the greatness of Metropolitan Andrey.
“It is a great honor for me to join this Public Council. Metropolitan Andrey saved a huge number of people during the war. That's why I want to push the matter through,” the Chief Rabbi said.
For the first time, the Mayor announced the initiative to create a Public Council during a meeting with the Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine, Joel Lyon. Then the guest of honor arrived in the city in early February to take part in a ceremony honoring six families from Lviv, and the regions of Lviv, Volyn and Rivne, who were recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations for risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
“You invested your heart and soul in your initiative, and it really hurt me a lot,” the Mayor said in a conversation with the Chief Rabbi. “During a certain period of my life, I was the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Foundation for 2.5 years, and its head was His Beatitude Liubomyr Huzar. Therefore, it is extremely important for me to invest in the idea of restoring justice, especially in such a difficult time in Ukraine. Therefore, when we had the Israeli Ambassador, we voiced ideas and will create a public Council in Lviv that will deal with issues of the additional search for materials for Yad Vashem in the nomination of Metropolitan Andrew for the Righteous Among the Nations. And we want to attract the best people here. We need your wise advice and wise ideas. This will be an emergency for all Ukrainians in the world.”
By the way, over the past 25 years, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassadors of the state of Israel to Ukraine have presented awards to 2,634 brave Ukrainians. The title of Righteous Among the Nations is Israel's highest award given to non-Jews who risked their own lives to help Jews survive the Holocaust.
