On the occasion of the 83rd anniversary of the beginning of mass executions of Jews by the Nazis in our city, Museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine” together with partner organizations held several events.
Thus, on October 11, the Museum's researcher Dr. Olena Ishchenko conducted a requiem class for the participants of the “Hesed Menachem” Open Lecture, dedicated to the history of the extermination of 11,000 Jews on October 13–14, 1941. The tragedy was considered in the historical context of the Nazi occupation regime established in Dnipropetrovsk after its capture on August 25, 1941, and the events in Kyiv on September 29–30, 1941. It is known that the “new government” planned to create a Jewish ghetto in Dnipropetrovsk: a “commissioned officer for the Jewish issue” was appointed, candidates for the Judenrat were selected. However, these measures were not brought to an end, and on October 13, 1941, the Jews of Dnipropetrovsk gathered near the building of the central department store “Lux” (now TsUM), from where they were escorted along the street. Karl Liebknecht (now Mykhailo Hrushevskyi St.) to the then outskirts of Dnipropetrovsk, to the place of execution. During the class, excerpts from an interview with the outstanding figure of the Jewish revival of Dnipro Oleksandr Fridkis, as well as a fragment of the documentary film “The Righteous” (directed by E. Tytarenko, 2019) were shown. Regular listeners of the lecture shared their own family stories of the tragedy and their memory of it.
On October 13, a commemorative rally was held on the territory of Gagarin Park, near the monument near the place where the Jews were shot. The event was led by the Deputy Director of the Museum, Dr. Yehor Vradii. During the rally, words of support and hope for the speedy establishment of peace in Ukraine and Israel were heard. Speaking about the importance of preserving the memory of this tragedy, the Chief Rabbi of Dnipro and the region Shmuel Kaminetskyi, director of the Jewish community Zelig Brez, respected member of the community Oleg Rostovtsev, director of museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine” Ms. Iryna Radchenko, member of the Board of Trustees of Levi Sharynov. The memorial prayer for the six million victims of Nazism was read by Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh-Leib Gurevich.
The ceremony ended with the lighting of six “Remembrance Candles”, symbolizing the six million victims of the Holocaust.