Under Siege, Mariupol Remembers Nazi Atrocities

The Jewish community of Mariupol, the scene of heavy fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels, commemorated the memory of 16,000 Jews who were murdered there during WWII by the Nazi invaders.

The memorial service, usually held at the site of the execution of the Jews of Mariupol, was relocated to the city’s central Synagogue due to the ongoing conflict.

More than 100 community members gathered in the synagogue’s prayer hall to recall those terrible crimes, recite Kaddish and Yizkor and look into the lit memorial candles and say “Never again.”

After an opening speech by Rabbi Mendel Cohen, the Chief Rabbi of Mariupol, and the Yizkor memorial prayer, candles were lit and poems and songs were dedicated in memory of the Nazis’ victims.

Photos: FJC.ru