Holocaust Remembrance Day in Moscow

MOSCOW [FJC] — The Moscow Jewish Community Center hosted a ceremony in memory of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. Upon opening the ceremony, the head of FJC Russia’s public relations department, Boruch Gorin, noted that this year is an important one for the Holocaust.

“This year marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Barbarossa plan – Nazi Germany’s attack on the USSR. It was just after that, in July1941, that the mass executions of Jews began on occupied Soviet territories,” explained Mr. Gorin. He also deplored the fact that the murder of Soviet Jews was one of the most unexplored pages of the Holocaust.

In his speech, Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar stated that on this day – Holocaust Remembrance Day and the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz – we remember not only those Jews who were killed, but also Soviet army soldiers, “who gave their lives to not allow the Nazis the opportunity to complete their vile plans.” Turning to the present, Rabbi Lazar noted with regret that the Nazi ideology did not die with the fall of Hitler’s Empire. “All terrorist acts in Russia, Israel, the USA and other countries are returning with the new face of Nazism,” he commented, mentioning the recent terrorist attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, underlining that this was an attack on the entire population of Russia.

The Chief Rabbi noted that if the function of the state is to suppress the terrorists, then the function of society and religious organizations is to promote ideas of tolerance and respect for other peoples. “If you raise children in a spirit of tolerance and respect for other peoples, they will live happily in peace and friendship,” concluded Rabbi Lazar.

FJC Russia President Alexander Boroda emphasized that the Holocaust was the culmination of the Nazi’s racist and xenophobic policy. As for the situation in modern Russia, he noted that nowadays in Russia, with the support of the government, we are observing the active development of national cultures and religious organizations. Many other presentations were made by other participating diplomats, dignitaries and officials.

The First Secretary of the Israeli Embassy in Russia, Yossi Tavor, read a personal message from Israel’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Dorit Golender. “Of the six million Jews exterminated, three million were Soviet citizens, and there is not one Jewish family that was not touched by the Holocaust and lost loved ones. I also grew up in a family of Holocaust survivors. My husband’s father, which consisted of 96 people, was completely annihilated. We must do everything so these horrors never happen again. We can never and should never be indifferent to anti-Semitism, xenophobia and extremism … We must remember and never forget – this should be the motto of our and future generations.”

Poland’s Ambassador to Russia Wojciech Zajaczkowski addressed the issue of Holocaust remembrance: “Some people say that it does not concern us, as it’s been a long time. It has not. Those darkest traits of human nature, which were revealed in the Holocaust, have not disappeared. Therefore, knowledge about the Holocaust is not limited due to time constraints; it is universal.”

The Acting German Ambassador in Russia, Rudolf Adam, also spoke on this issue. “We must remember the suffering of the victims and the inhumanity of the executioners. Only knowledge about the prerequisites of this hell will help us guarantee that this never happens again,” he stated, stressing that Germans have learned from experience that only true total memory helps to get rid of past phobias.

Other speeches were given by Russian Jewish Congress President Yuri Kanner, First Secretary of the British Embassy Dennis Keefe, and Julia Selyutina. She is the daughter of Fedor Mikhailichenko, who was named a “Righteous Gentile” for saving a boy in the Buchenwald camp, who later became Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel, Yisrael Meir Lau. Mrs. Selyutina expressed gratitude to the Jewish people for preserving her father’s memory. “When we were presented the certificate and medal of the Righteous Gentiles, we vowed that our children and grandchildren will always honor and remember those events,” she explained.

Six candles were then lit in the memory of the six million Jewish victims. Mr. Gorin remarked that this day is not so much about lighting the candles as an opportunity to open one’s soul to meet and reach out to other people.