On October 25, the annual reception dedicated to the Righteous of Babyn Yar took place in the Kyiv city hall.
On October 25, the annual reception dedicated to the Righteous of Babyn Yar took place in the Kyiv city hall.
The Reception of the Righteous is an annual event organized by the Kyiv City State Administration in commemoration of the Babyn Yar victims, bringing together the people who, at the risk to their lives and lives of their relatives, saved the Jews during the Second World War.
This year the reception was attended by Bishop Bohdan (Dzyurah) on behalf of His Beatitude Sviatoslav of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, representatives of the clergy of all churches in Ukraine, the Jewish community, Mayor Vitaly Klytschko, representatives of the diplomatic corps, the Charity Fund Zarady Tebe and the public.
City Mayor Vitaly Klytschko, in particular, noted that the Kyivan authorities are making every effort to ensure that the heroic acts of the Righteous were not forgotten. He also described as one of his priority “missions” the construction of the Babyn Yar Memorial Complex.
The event culmination was the prayer of the participants in the event for peace in Ukraine, for the Righteous and for the health and God's blessing for all those present.
Commenting on this event, Bishop Bohdan emphasized that “today, looking at the faces of the Righteous who risked their lives and lives of their loved ones in order to save the sons and daughters of the Jewish people, through those present, we pay tribute and give gratitude to all the Righteous among our people, both known and unknown. All of them gave us a lesson in humanity, the power of the Spirit and sacrificial love for our neighbor.”
During a conversation with the member of the Presidium of the All-Ukrainian Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine Mr. Anatoly Shengeit, the representative of the UGCC expressed gratitude for the proclamation of the representatives of the UGCC as the Righteous of Ukraine, in particular the righteous Metropolitan Andrey. Bishop Bohdan touched upon the issue of further research on the history of the rescue of Jews by Ukrainians to honor the memory of all the Righteous, in particular those still unknown or not properly honored.
A special occasion was the meeting and communication with the Righteous, during which the Secretary of the Synod of the UGCC expressed their heartfelt appreciation for their position during the time of the Nazi occupation, but also today, when their speeches are full of pain about others – the living and the dead – and not about themselves.
Bishop Bohdan was shocked by the story of one of the Righteous, Sophia Yarova, who testified about how “all of Kyiv rushed to save the Jews whom the Nazis shot to death, which saved many of them.” “We then did not consider the heroism of what they did, because for us it was self-explanatory, it was our duty, our vocation," said Ms. Yarova.
“This impulse of love, solidarity, compassion and mercy cannot but touch because it shows the greatness and power of the spirit of our people, of whom we are proud now and will always be proud,” Bishop Bohdan summed up this event.
This was reported by the Department of Information of the UGCC.