Oleg Vyshniakov - Ukraine and Israel. 74 years passed since tragedy in Babi Yar.

Each year representatives of Jewish communities and organizations, ambassadors and diplomats, politicians and public figures come to Babi Yar to pay tribute to the victims. This is the way the things are done.  This is "a visit to the protocol event." Unfortunately, there is all attention to the place where 34,000 Jews were killed only for the first few shooting days. Just because they are Jews. Ukrainians, gypsies, war prisoners, Kyiv citizens... in a few years at Babi Yar only Jews more than 150 000 people were killed.  For the visualization of this figure just imagine that the occupancy of NSC "Olimpiyskiy" is about 70 000 people.

When it comes to the Babi Yar tragedy usually everybody talks with indignation about the horrors of Nazism and says "we will not forget" and rejoices that this is "in the past." However, currently we are absolutely comfortable with the fact that the number of ethnic conflicts, wars, terrorist attacks and murders on ethnic grounds is growing at an exponential rate. We do not care about present. We do not remember the past. But we want happy future.

In modern school curriculum negligible time is devoted to the issues of Babi Yar, the Holocaust and the genocide. Often, only one lesson is dedicated to this theme. If you're lucky you may have an excursion to the memorial and only for Kiyv schools. Why? Is Babi Yar the tragedy only of the Jewish people? It is the part of the history of Ukraine, isn’t it? In the book by Anatoly Kuznetsov "Babi Yar" there is a line - "It’s possible to burn, scatter, burry, trample, but there is also human memory ...". Among those who came to honor memory of victims of Babi Yar young people could be counted on one’s fingers. Our most terrible crime is that we forget... There is no need to "bother". It was long ago and it’s not necessary to clutter children’s mind with "these horrors".

Is the problem of nationalism, especially anti-Semitism, completely resolved nowadays? Yes, in Ukraine, these problems are not too hot, the Ukrainians are very indulgent and tolerant to other nations, but nevertheless, for the last year the Minor monument was desecrated 6 times. Last time it was laid around by car tires, poured over with gasoline and set on fire, a swastika was drawn on Minor. I understand that vandals and idiots are everywhere, but why was there no information about this? Why was no one punished? Such episodes are not isolated. Desecrating graves and monuments, writing dirtiness on the walls of synagogues, couple of months ago open anti-Semitic meeting took place in Lviv... The question is whom are such provocations are of benefit to? Who wants that “Jew bashing” started in Ukraine? Only for the Ukraine’s enemy.

Today, when most of Ukrainians are aggressive and exhausted by family losses, lack of money and frustration, provocations on the national ground can play a role of match set to the powder keg.

The price of such political ploys is too high. Once again statistics is 150 000. Have been shot.