On January 27, Ukrainians and the international community commemorate the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
What the President Said About Holocaust Remembrance
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk joined the commemoration efforts.
“January 27 is a day when the world remembers the victims of the Holocaust. This was a deliberate attempt by the Nazis to erase an entire people – to kill all its members and destroy everything that reminded of Jews. Six million victims. The crime of the Holocaust must never happen again. Unfortunately, the memory of the Holocaust is gradually weakening. And the evil that seeks to obliterate the lives of entire nations still exists in the world,” emphasized the President.
According to him, the Holocaust must never be repeated, yet the memory of it is fading.
“And the evil that seeks to destroy the lives of entire nations remains in the world... We all must fight for life and remember that indifference is fertilizer for evil. We must overcome hatred that leads to suffering and murder,” summarized Zelensky.
Stefanchuk called the Holocaust one of the most horrific crimes against humanity that must never be repeated.
“Today, January 27, Ukraine together with the entire world commemorates the memory of the Holocaust victims. It is one of the most horrific crimes against humanity – genocide that took the lives of millions of innocents,” added Stefanchuk.
He noted that during that terrible time humanity “lost far too much due to hatred, cruelty, and intolerance.” People were persecuted and exterminated for their national, ethnic, racial, or religious identity, political views, social group, or way of life.
“We remember the names of the innocent victims who perished simply for who they were. Such evil must never repeat itself. Never. For anyone,” concluded the Chairman of the Parliament.
What You Need to Know About Holocaust Remembrance Day
On January 27, 1945, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front liberated one of the largest Nazi death camps – “Auschwitz-Birkenau” in Poland.
A total of 6 million European Jews fell victim to the Holocaust, with 1.5 million of them perishing on the territory of Ukraine. Babyn Yar became the symbol of the genocide of Jews in Ukraine, where on September 29-30, 1941, the Nazis shot 33,771 Jews.
Ukraine first marked the Day of Remembrance for the Holocaust victims at the state level on January 27, 2012.
