Mourning ceremony devoted to the 77th anniversary of the tragic events, which happened during the World War II, when during the German occupation of Kharkiv, Nazis killed nearly 20,000 persons, mainly Jews, took place at the Drobytsky Yar Memorial Complex on December 14.
Three hundred Kharkiv residents, mainly the representatives of NGOs, religious confessions, veterans and children of war, students, cadets and schoolchildren, took part in it. Among them were the children from Jewish school No. 170, Yeshiva students of Kharkiv Choral Synagogue, students of the special school “Shaalavim,” cadets of the special school “Law Enforcer,” students of Kharkiv Humanitarian and Pedagogical Academy, representatives of Jews organization (ghetto and concentration camp prisoners), the members of Jews society (the participants of the Great Patriotic War and war veterans).
Second Secretary of the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine Mark Goldman made a speech for those who came, as well as the representatives of city’s administration, director of the Drobytsky Yar Memorial Complex Iryna Ferentseva, Kharkiv and oblast’s chief rabbi Moishe Moskovich. Moishe Moskovich read the Kaddish. The ceremony’s participants laid flowers at the place of mass shooting.
“Here lie the remains of not only Jews, but the representatives of many other nationalities, who became victims of man-hating ideology that demanded to kill people only because they have other religion or other blood. And our children, our descendants must know the truth for the terrible pages of our history not to become real again, and today, it is topical as never before,” the President of Kharkiv Regional United Jewish Community, Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Feldman emphasized.
It should be noted that the Drobytsky Yar Memorial Complex was officially opened 16 years ago. According to its Director Iryna Ferentseva, it is the country’s largest and one of the most important memorials in the world. The International Charitable Foundation “Oleksandr Feldman Foundation” was actively and massively involved in its establishment.
“85 percent of means spent on the construction of the memorial were obtained from charity fundraising. And we are very grateful to Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Feldman and his family, as it would be very difficult for the Memorial Complex without their support,” Iryna Ferentseva emphasized. “The tragedy of Drobytsky Yar is a living history that concerns everyone.”
Reference: The liquidation of Kharkiv ghetto started on December 27, 1941: under pretence of sending people to work, fascists started to take Jews from ghetto to Drobytsky Yar situated on the eastern outskirts of the city to shoot them there. On January 7, 1942, Kharkiv ghetto ceased to exist. Roma and captive Red Army soldiers were also shot here. The total of 16,000 to 20,000 people were killed, while the total number of Jews killed by Nazis during the World War II was 6 million.
The construction of the Drobytsky Yar Memorial Complex for Nazism victims started in 1992. The first part of the memorial was opened in December 13, 2002. It included the menorah sign, the path and 20 meter high obelisk. On August 22, 2005, the memorial hall with the Cup of Sorrow was opened at the Memorial Complex.
