Miory Regional Executive Committee

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

Tens of people participated in the commemorative event - representatives of the Jewish community, the charitable public organization "Chasdei David", and students of Secondary School No. 21 in Vitebsk named after Hero of the Soviet Union V.A. Demidov. They gathered near a stone on the right bank of the Western Dvina River, with an inscription reading: "A memorial sign will be installed here in memory of the prisoners of the Vitebsk Ghetto - victims of fascist genocide in 1941-1944."

"The events are dedicated to the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust. Since January 27 fell on a Saturday, and according to Jewish tradition, no events are held on Shabbat, we decided to hold them today. During the Great Patriotic War, 2 million people perished in Belarus, more than 800,000 of whom were of Jewish nationality. The Holocaust and the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War are virtually identical concepts. Today we remember everyone," said Naum Linkovsky, Chairman of the Vitebsk City Jewish Community. Work to perpetuate the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, according to him, is being carried out continuously and is reflected in the community's projects, many of which are dedicated to this theme or touch upon it. "Last year, we installed a monument in Kolyshki using our own resources, and made a monument in Surazh," Naum Linkovsky clarified.

Current generations did not witness those horrific events, but 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 simply runs cold in your veins. It is unimaginable to imagine what horrors these people endured," said Serafima Azarenkova, a member of the Jewish community.
After the rally, everyone headed to the nearby Great Lubavitch Synagogue, which was reopened last summer after restoration. Representatives of different generations lit candles in honor of fellow townsmen and relatives, those who were brutally destroyed by the fascists. Each promised to do everything to ensure that tragic facts are preserved in pamyati living.Director of the Vitebsk charitable public association "Chesed David", Boris Konvalov, stated that today approximately 320 people who survived the years of the Holocaust are under the care of the organization in the region. Among them are two former concentration camp prisoners and three Leningrad blockade survivors. Two additional individuals hold the title of Righteous Among the Nations – they risked their own lives and the lives of their family members to save people of Jewish nationality.

"We are making every effort to provide qualified assistance to all these people," said Boris Konvalov. "This includes not only material aid but also the creation of specific conditions through socialization programs. The main task of the organization is the home care service (home nursing). In addition, many programs operate, including an emergency assistance program for those facing severe financial hardship, aid in purchasing expensive medications, rehabilitation equipment, and technical devices". The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, established by UN General Assembly Resolution 60/7 in 2005, is observed on January 27. On this day in 1945, the Soviet Army liberated prisoners of the Nazi concentration camp "Auschwitz-Birkenau". According to various estimates, fascists tortured to death between 1.5 million and 4 million people there. Approximately 6 million Jews became victims of the Holocaust, with over 800,000 killed on the territory of Belarus. In the death camps, German Nazis and collaborators from other countries constantly refined their methods of mass extermination, conducting brutal medical experiments on representatives of the Jewish people, Slavs, and Roma. In Vitebsk, according to various data, between 16,000 and 20,000 people of Jewish nationality were killed during the war.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by