The EAJC delegation attended events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Babi Yar tragedy

On October 5-6, a delegation of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, consisting of EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, Chairman of the EAJC Board Aaron G. Frenkel, and EAJC Director General Dr. Haim Ben Yakov, participated in a series of events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy. As part of the delegation representing the Jewish community of Moldova, the events were also attended by EAJC Vice Presidents Alexander Bilinkis and Emmanuel Grinshpun.

Supported by the EAJC and the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, the "Holocaust. We Remember" film festival was held. The festival opened with "When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit," a joint Swiss-German production. It tells the story of nine-year-old Anna, who in 1933 had to flee Berlin with her family due to Nazi persecution, leaving her beloved stuffed rabbit behind. A total of 5 films produced by the USA, Great Britain, Israel, Switzerland, Germany, France, Canada, the Czech Republic, Belarus, and Russia were screened during the festival, including the animated film "263 Nights" about the prisoners of the Minsk Ghetto, produced with the active support of the EAJC.

“This is a highly complex theme to address. Each of these films provides an opportunity to contemplate the Shoah from an emotional, cultural, and artistic perspective. However, by presenting new stories, facts, viewpoints, and angles on these tragic events, we bring renewal to the discourse and ensure it remains active. In today's world, it is particularly crucial to convey information through diverse mediums, especially visual art, which plays an indispensable role in representing historical events that are often the most difficult to depict,” stated EAJC Director General Dr. Haim Ben Yakov at the opening ceremony.

Ahead of the events marking the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy, the book "Righteous Among the Nations. Ukraine," documenting Ukrainian citizens who saved Jews during the Holocaust, was published with the support of the EAJC. To mark the book's release, RBC-Ukraine conducted an interview with Inna Ioffe, Director of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine.

“During the darkest years of the Second World War, there were individuals who could not remain indifferent to the tragedy of the Jewish people. And there were many such individuals. More than two and a half thousand Righteous Among the Nations have been officially recognized in Ukraine. We are duty-bound to remember this and to pay tribute to the gratitude and respect deserved by each of them. Therefore, for us and our colleagues at the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, it was of paramount importance to publish the book 'Righteous Among the Nations. Ukraine,' which we have the honor of presenting today,” said EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili.

On October 6, a ceremony introducing the memorial to the victims of the mass murder of Jews was held at Babyn Yar. The ceremony was attended by the Presidents of Ukraine, Israel, Germany, and Albania, alongside many other distinguished guests.

Ukraine became the first country visited by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, elected in June of this year, on an official state visit marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel and the countries of the former USSR. During the visit, Isaac Herzog met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A special reception was held with the support of the EAJC, where the President of Israel met with leaders of the Jewish community, alongside a ceremony marking the opening of the Jewish National Fund (KKL) representative office in Ukraine.

“Strengthening ties between the Diaspora and the State of Israel is one of the pivotal areas of focus for the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. It is our hope that the visit of the President of Israel to Ukraine will serve as a promising beginning for our active cooperation for the benefit of the State of Israel and the Jewish Diaspora,” said EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili.