To avoid indifference: the memory of Holocaust victims was honored in Vitebsk

A rally and thematic meeting dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust victims took place in Vitebsk.

Dozens of people took part in the commemorative event – representatives of the Jewish community, the charitable public organisation "Chesed David", and pupils from Secondary School No. 21 of Vitebsk named after Hero of the Soviet Union V.A. Demidov. They gathered by a stone on the right bank of the Western Dvina, the inscription on which reads: "A memorial sign will be erected here in memory of the prisoners of the Vitebsk Ghetto – victims of fascist genocide in 1941-1944.".

"The events are dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Since January 27 fell on a Saturday, and according to Jewish traditions, no events are held on Shabbat, we decided to hold them today. In Belarus, 2 million people died during the Great Patriotic War, of whom more than 800,000 were of Jewish nationality. The Holocaust and the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War are practically identical concepts. Today we remember everyone," said Naum Linkovsky, Chairman of the Vitebsk City Jewish Community. He added that the work to perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust victims is carried out continuously and is reflected in the community's projects, many of which are dedicated to this topic or touch upon it. "Last year, we erected a monument in Kolyshki at our own expense, and we made a monument in Surazh," Naum Linkovsky specified.

The current generations were not witnesses to those horrific events, but they know about them from their parents and relatives. "It is our sacred duty to pass this memory on to the next generation so that it is preserved, and our children do not become victims, executioners, and, most terribly, indifferent people. When you listen to these stories (about the atrocities committed by the occupiers in the ghetto), your blood runs cold. It is unimaginable to comprehend the horrors these people were subjected to," said Seraphima Azarenkova, a member of the Jewish community.
After the rally, everyone proceeded to the nearby Great Lyubavich Synagogue, which was reopened last summer after restoration. Candles in honour of fellow countrymen and relatives, those who were brutally exterminated by the fascists, were lit by representatives of different generations. Everyone pledged to do everything possible to ensure that these tragic facts are preserved in the memory of the living. Boris Konovalov, Director of the Vitebsk Charitable Public Association "Chesed David", said that today the organisation cares for about 320 people in the region who survived the Holocaust years. Among them are two concentration camp prisoners and three siege survivors.

of Leningrad. Two more individuals hold the title of Righteous Among the Nations – they risked their own lives and the lives of their families to save people of Jewish nationality.

"We are making every effort to provide qualified assistance to all these individuals," said Boris Konovalov. "This includes not only material aid but also the creation of specific conditions through socialisation programmes. The organisation's primary objective is home-care service (at-home care). Additionally, numerous programmes are in place, including an emergency assistance programme for those in severe financial hardship, aid in acquiring expensive medications, rehabilitation equipment, and technology." The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, established in 2005 by UN General Assembly Resolution 60/7, is observed on January 27th. On this day in 1945, the Soviet Army liberated the prisoners of the Nazi concentration camp "Auschwitz-Birkenau." According to various estimates, fascists tortured between 1.5 million and 4 million people there. Approximately 6 million Jews became victims of the Holocaust, with over 800,000 exterminated in Belarus. In death camps, German Nazis and collaborators from other countries continuously refined methods of extermination, conducting cruel medical experiments on people of Jewish nationality, Slavs, and Roma. In Vitebsk, according to various sources, between 16,000 and 20,000 people of Jewish nationality were exterminated during the war.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by