In Lviv, Ukrainians and Jews pay tribute to Holocaust victims
On January, 27, in Lviv several dozens of townspeople gathered at the rally on the former ghetto to commemorate Jews killed during the Holocaust.
It was reported by IA ZIK.
For the 12th consecutive year, at the monument to victims of the Lviv ghetto in Lviv the Jewish community commemorates International Remembrance Day of Holocaust Victims, 6 million Jews that were killed during the Holocaust. In particular, over 137,000 people were slain in the Lviv ghetto, whose main fault was that they were Jews.
Khrystyna Berehovska, the Director of the Department of culture, nationality and religion to Lviv Regional State Administration, addressed the audience: “The tragedy that happened in our country has had a planetary scale. Less than a hundred years has passed since depopulation of Ukrainian Jews – this accounts for a quarter of the global Holocaust victims. So today we have a duty not to allow such losses any longer.”
Ukrainians and representatives of the Jewish community of Lviv have gathered to pay tribute to the memory of victims. Meilakh Sheykhet, the Director of Center for Jewish Studies and Charity “Jewish renaissance” said: “This day should unite us to remember that once Lviv had a death factory.” In Lviv, more than half a million of Jews died, there were four concentration camps. Once there was prosperous Jewish community in Lviv, which was a model for society. It had a story that, unfortunately, had come to an end. Many wonderful people who could have given rise to new generations, scientists who could have made outstanding discoveries, were killed here. But this did not happen. Nazi and communist dictatorships ravaged the land.”
The event was also attended by public figures, including the human rights activist, founding member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group Myroslav Marynovych. He called for unity, despite any obstacles.
“Evil things can happen in this world. It has become fashionable to violate civilized norms on which the European civilization is based. The world again resorts to national self-interest, and it is a very negative trend. We are faced with the problem of moral choice – the same as in the old days. Some are on the side of evil, because it is strong and dominates, others are trying to find their house edge with the idea that evil will pass. But it avoids people. And then there is the path of confrontation, which one may follow while doing good. So let us be united, although we have differences there is one great God above us,” Miroslav Marynovych said.
After the meeting there was a ceremony of laying flowers at the monument to the Lviv ghetto victims. Also, the chief rabbi of Lviv and Western Ukraine Shlomo Bold Mordecai prayed for the souls of the deceased.