Preparations for 75th anniversary of Babi Yar tragedy

November 11, 2015 the second meeting of the Organizational Committee on preparation and holding of events, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Babi Yar tragedy took place at the Government Building in Kyiv. The meeting was attended by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the co-head of the organizational committee, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Boris Lozhkyn, the head of the Presidential Administration, government members, representatives of Ukrainian and international Jewish organizations, scientists, politicians, public figures, representatives of cultural authorities, clergy and members of the Parliament.

Being the Honorary Consul of the State of Israel, I was invited to serve on the committee as well.

It is big pleasure to note the fact that after the first session there are already visible results: security system and video surveillance was installed in Babi Yar. It will stop constant cultural violence connected with the monuments. This is extremely important and necessary step, because only within the last year the Minora monument was desecrated more than 6 times.

Within yesterday's meeting, the Committee discussed the preparation of future event, the creation of financial fund and thematic symbolics. It is planned to hold a contest among architectural bureaus, including foreign ones, on the design of a memorial like the famous Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. To implement this initiative a conference of patrons willing to sponsor the creation of this monument will be held as well.

Also it was offered to create a righteous alley in Babi Yar park complex, where it will be commemorated not only Ukrainians who were saving Jews but also guerilla, underground fighters, Gypsies, prisoners of war - all those who met their deaths of Nazi executioners.

I should say that there is still no exposure of the tragedy in Babi Yar. It is planned that the building at 48 Melnikov Street will be a museum of Babi Yar where such exhibition will be always open for citizens and guests of the capital.

Babi Yar is a very sacral place. This is the first precedent in the history when more than 150,000 people of one nationality were killed just because they were Jews. We have to honour, to protect and take care of the place of last gasp of those innocently killed.
This bloody statistics should be hand down from generation to generation, explained, told, shown, forced to understand and feel all the fear and horror of all committed actions in order no one has ever an idea to repeat this once again.

The 75th anniversary of Babi Yar tragedy is a global event. August 12, 2015 the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed Decree “On the Events on the Occasion of the 75th Anniversary of Babi Yar Tragedy” by which the organizational committee on the above mentioned event was established in September 2016. Currently German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, heads of other European countries, well-known public figures, representatives of culture and business are going to be invited to the event.

Ukraine has to prepare for this event in a proper way and show the world that we know, remember and honour our history.