Seventy years ago the lives of 16,000-20,000 Jews of Mariupol ended in a trench located near the village of Agrobaza. A commemorative service, held on October 30 at the memorial built on the site of the mass shootings, was held.
Jewish community members gather at the memorial each year to honor the innocent victims – both adults and children – whose lives were cut short during those terrible days.
E. Kamarali, a representative of the Mariupol City Council, opened the memorial service. Everyone spent a moment in silence, after which Chief Rabbi of Mariupol Menachem Mendel Cohen read the “Yizkor” memorial prayer. Another Jewish community member, Boris Dansker, read Kaddish and placed a special stone on the memorial monument.
The honor of lighting a candle in memory of the victims was given to a respected community member, Yuriy Hodos. The host read poems dedicated to the tragedy suffered by those people! No one held back the tears that stifled everyone. Students of the Ohr Avner Chabad Evening School, together with their teachers, prepared a literary and musical presentation.
Semyon Goldberg, a journalist and a community member, spoke about the terrible events. Elvira Bortz, who survived the hardships of the war and the pogroms as a young child, also spoke.
Memory is what connects the generations. Memory is what makes people immortal, for they are alive as long as they can remember.