Holocaust victims honored in Kropyvnytskyi

Today, on September 29th, in Kropyvnytskyi, in memory of the anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy, near the "Victims of the Holocaust" memorial sign located at the Great Choral Synagogue, a flower-laying ceremony took place to commemorate the victims. This event was organized by the city council of Kropyvnytskyi.

The gathering at this memorial site included representatives from local government, civic activists, and concerned citizens. The Secretary of Kropyvnytskyi City Council, Oleg Kolyuka, also participated in honoring the memory of the Holocaust victims.

"Today, we remember the victims of the Holocaust. Despite the terrible events of those years and the brutality of the Nazis, the Jewish community managed to preserve their traditions and connection with their ancestors. Today, Ukraine is facing a similarly ruthless and cruel enemy. Together, we will certainly defeat and drive out the fascist invaders and rebuild our country," stated Rabbi Dan Zakuta from the Jewish religious community in his address to the participants.

Background:

Babyn Yar in Kyiv is a memorial site that commemorates the tragedy of various nations and is one of the most well-known symbols of the Holocaust in Ukraine.

On September 29-30, 1941, the Nazis killed nearly 34,000 Kyiv residents in Babyn Yar solely because they were Jews. It was one of the largest mass killings of civilians carried out by the Nazis during World War II.

During the war, not only Jews were killed and buried at Babyn Yar. Throughout the two years of the German occupation, entire groups or individuals who were considered enemies of the Nazis were shot and buried here due to racial and political motivations. This included Roma, prisoners of war, psychiatric hospital patients, civilian hostages, Ukrainian nationalists and partisans, and inmates of the Syrets concentration camp. Starting from August 1943, chained prisoners from the Syrets camp dug up and cremated the bodies of those shot in Babyn Yar.

The estimated total number of victims is approximately 100,000 people, the vast majority of whom were Jews.