Uzbekistan pays tribute to the memory of Jewish World War II veterans

Historian David Kalontarov and his father Arkady Kalontarov have dedicated many years to preserving the memory of Jewish combatants who fought in the Second World War. Recently, Mr. Kalontarov visited Uzbekistan at the invitation of the Tashkent Museum of Glory, established through the initiative of Feruza Yuldashevna Mahmudova, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Israel. During his visit, he participated in discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation between Israel and Uzbekistan in researching the contribution of Central Asian nations to the victory over Nazism.

The Victory Park and Museum of Glory memorial complex was inaugurated in Tashkent on May 9, 2020, marking the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazism, by Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev, the President of Uzbekistan. Observed on May 9, this official holiday of the Republic of Uzbekistan was established in 1999 by the decree of the first President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Islam Abduganievich Karimov, under the name "Day of Remembrance and Honor." It serves as a tribute to the legacy of the fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers who fought against Nazism on the battlefields or contributed to the victory through diligent labor on the home front. Notably, updated statistics indicate that nearly two million residents of Uzbekistan (amounting to one-third of the republic's population at the time) served in the Red Army. Among them, over 400,000 lost their lives in battle, and more than 200,000 soldiers and officers received state decorations.

Proposals for cooperation between the museums of Uzbekistan and Israel are currently under consideration. The primary Israeli partner proposed for this initiative is the Museum of Jewish Soldiers in World War II in Latrun, directed by retired Brigadier General Zvi Kan-Tor, alongside the Union of WWII Veterans - Fighters Against Nazism (chaired by Abram Grinzaid) and the Union of Disabled Veterans and Partisans of the War Against the Nazis (led by President Ephraim Paperny). It is worth noting that Abram Grinzaid arrived in Uzbekistan early in the Great Patriotic War as a refugee from Bessarabia (now the Republic of Moldova). Despite his youth, he worked at a factory in Andijan for approximately two years before being conscripted into the Red Army in 1943, subsequently serving through to Germany.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is prepared to evaluate potential participation in fostering cooperation between the two nations as an exemplary instance of public diplomacy, as well as contributing to upcoming research initiatives. This was announced by Dr. Haim Ben Yakov, Director General of the EAJC.

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