Yesterday, on May 15, 2016 under the patronage of Honorary Consulate of the State of Israel Day of Jewish Culture was held in Kyiv.

First of all, I thank all those who have helped to organize this event and took part in it. It was very nice to see a large number of guests who visited our holiday - both Jews and Ukrainians. Ukrainian diplomats and politicians, deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, representatives of Jewish organizations and funds, journalists of Ukraine and Israel – many people have come with their families.

The Jewish people is rich, above all, in its traditions and culture: for centuries, a unique nation that did not have its own state, has managed to preserve its own identity. Just because they have treasured a huge cultural heritage and have been united, the Jewish state exists now. Histories of our people are really similar: throughout its history Israel defended its independence, now the price of independence is understood by Ukrainians.

Yesterday, Ukraine marked Day of the Victims of Political Repressions: the totalitarian communist regime spared no Jews or Ukrainians, and we must always remember this. I hope that such events will never be repeated. Recently Israel commemorated those who had been killed in all wars and acts of terrorism. In Israel nobody is forgotten, the name of every victim and every soldier is immortalized and Ukraine could learn this from Israelis.

It is very symbolic that we were visited by Alla Gerber on that day. Alla Gerber is a living witness of how a totalitarian system has tried to destroy any manifestations of self-identity in the bud: it was impossible to be either a Jew or a Ukrainian or a man - nobody. In her speech, she spoke with pain about the fate of Soviet Jews, about her family's fate and her personal. Her father was repressed on a false denunciation in 1949, he returned only in seven years. Alla Gerber knows what the censorship, the ban on the publication, the everyday and state anti-Semitism is. "Life was horrible around us, and our life was wonderful, because we believed in better and kept together," said Alla Gerber of the times she had experienced. "The most terrible thing is a feeling of fear. You can not escape, otherwise everything is in vain," aren’t these words of Alla Gerber about our present days? Today, the story of her life can become a role model: young generations not only of Jews, but also of Ukrainians need to know their history, whatever it may be, not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

The same words were repeated by Albert Feldman. On Day of Jewish Culture, he presented paintings of the Jewish images series. These are the people who have already left, an entire civilization, which has disappeared with the disappearance of the state.

I always say that the fate of Ukrainian and Jewish people are very similar: Ukrainians as well as Jews, for many centuries, did not have their own state in fact, though they lived in the same country. Jews living in different countries passed their traditions unchanged during the centuries, but Ukrainians rewrote their history, destiny, past and future over the past couple of hundred years. Today, thanks to such meetings and communication of different generations, we are proud to transfer our knowledge of the past to our children. In my opinion, it is important not to interrupt this link between generations.

In this sense, yesterday event Children for peace in the whole world looks symbolical: Ukrainian children participants of the event and honorable guests created a symbolical map of Israel from paper pigeons that were covered with the words of peace for the children from other countries. Children of more than 20 countries took part in this event.

I would like one more time express my gratitude to everyone, who attended the Day of Jewish culture, and hope that every guest could find something for themselves from event and communication.