The activities devoted to the 75-th anniversary of tragic events of the end of 1941 – the beginning of 1942 when in Drobytsky Yar near Kharkiv fascists shot nearly 20 thousand people, mainly Jews, will take place in Kharkiv in November – December of this year. The organizers of the event are: the Kharkiv regional joint Jewish community and the Kharkiv choral synagogue with assistance of the Kharkiv regional public administration.
For two months a number of cultural and educational events aimed to distribute the information on Drobytsky Yar’s tragedy, first of all – among the younger generation will be held in Kharkiv.
“It is very important for us that Kharkiv citizens, first of all – children and youth, know and remember these tragic events. Without history knowledge and respect of memory of the innocent victims it is impossible to build the future in which similar tragedies will never repeat “, – the President of Kharkiv regional joint Jewish community, the Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Feldman emphasized.
Among the planned events are: tolerance excursions to the Memorial complex “Drobytsky Yar” for the Kharkiv pupils and students, and also an exhibition of archives, letters, newspapers and memoirs of eyewitnesses of the tragedy “DrobytskyYar’s Ash”. The exposition opening will take place on December 13 in AVEC Gallery (Sumskaya St., 70). Besides, on December 14, a concert requiem in the Kharkiv regional philharmonic hall is planned.
As the organizers note, the activities with participation of representatives of the public, the religious organizations, pupils of school and higher education institutions, and also residents devoted to anniversary of the Drobytsky Yar events are held in Kharkiv every year.
It should be reminded that after the occupation of Kharkiv in October, 1941 the prosecutions of Jews took place in the city. On December 14 by the order of the military commandant of the city all Jews had to move in a ghetto in barracks on HTZ. Since December 27, 1941the elimination of the Kharkiv ghetto began: under the pretext of sending for work fascists began to take out Jews from a ghetto to Drobytsky Yar on east suburb of the city and to shoot them. On January 7, 1942 the Kharkiv Jewish ghetto ceased to exist. Also the Roma and captured Red Army men were shot in the Yar. In total about 16 – 20 thousand people were killed.
Generally during the Second World War Nazis killed about 6 million Jews.
The construction of a memorial to the victims of Nazism in Drobytsky Yar began in 1992. The first memorial stage was open on December 13, 2002. It consisted of the memorable sign menorah, the path and a 20-meter obelisk. On August 22, 2005 the mourning hall with a grief Bowl opened.
