World Jewish News

Sevastopol Honors Victims of the Holocaust

In memory of the 4,200 Jewish residents of the Crimea who perished in the Holocaust, the Jewish community of Sevastopol held a remembrance ceremony on July 11. The rally commemorated the victims who were shot during the Nazi occupation of Sevastopol in July 1942. The ceremony started at the foot of the monument to Holocaust victims, accompanied by a heart-touching melody, and was followed by a prayer recited by Chief Rabbi of Sevastopol Benyamin Wolf.
The event was opened by Boris Gelman, the Vice-Chairman of the Sevastopol Jewish community, who recalled that the Holocaust began on the territory of Belarus and Ukraine, after which the Nazis brought this plague throughout Europe.
Mr. Gelman noted that in July 1942, the Nazi occupation troops rounded up Jews in the city’s Chaika stadium. They had been officially informed to bring food for three days and to provide officers with the key to their homes and addresses. They were told that they would be taken to do some agricultural work and then returned to their homes, which never happened.
The main day of the mass execution was July 12. In the days that followed, other Jews were tracked down in shelters and shot separately, sometimes entire families at a time, from infants to grandparents.
Isaac Slutsky, an 87-year-old retired police colonel and World War II veteran, then addressed the crowd. Fifteen of his family members were killed during the Holocaust, some of whom were shot dead in the Crimean city of Kerch.
Local and regional officials also participated in the event. Deputy Chairman of the Sevastopol City Council Petr Kudryashov expressed the hope that by next year, a synagogue will be erected near the memorial.
Based in the largest city of the Crimea, the Jewish community of Sevastopol is an active member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine. It plays an important role in the development of Jewish life in this city and region.

FJC.ru