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Euroasian Jewish News
IX Pan-Ukrainian Competition of Student Research and Creative Works "History and Lessons of the Holocaust" Held Succes
25.05.2009
 The Ukrainian Research Center of the History of the Holocaust, together with the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, has successfully held the IX Pan-Ukrainian Competition of Student Research and Creative Works "History and Lessons of the Holocaust" on the 17-19 May in Kiev.
The next year is a jubilee year. Thus, it is already an entire epoch. And a small victory for the Ukrainian Research Center of the History of the Holocaust. Or a big victory? Victory in the battle for historic truth in the research and teaching of such a difficult topic, in support of the ideas of tolerance and human rights. And the success of people devoted to their idea, their personal values, and, certainly, to universal values and European standards of professionalism. I am talking about the team of the Center's staff: Anatoly Podolosky, Michael Tyaglyi, Vitaliy Bobrov, Nelya Yuschenko, Nataliya Sinelnikova. I am speaking about those who have been working with the Center for years as reviewers of student works and members of the jury: Yulia Smilyanskaya, Svetlana Kandeeva, Jeanna Kovba, Ilya Medvinskiy, Nadezhda Eremenko, Tatyana Chaika, Vitaliy Nahmanovich, Alexander Voytenko, Yurir Komarov. About those teachers who have been bringing their students to this competition for years: Yuri Vovk, Inna Savitskaya, Oksana Kozhemyaka, Nataliya Gerasima, Jeanna Babenko. About those children who have been writing and defending their works during these years. About those who have participated in the competition for the first time, but showed their knowledge and the true pain of compassion for the people destroyed in the horrible tragedy of the Holocaust.
Thanks to the support of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and Joseph Zisels personally, participants from Belarus and Moldova were invited to the competition. Special thanks must be given to Irina Polyakova (Belarus) and Yuriy Zagorcha (Moldova) for their civil courage, enthusiasm, ability to work, honesty, and for making wonderful comrades with their friends and family members. And even though formally this competition is still pan-Ukrainian, it can be said that it has rightfully gone on to the international level.
 But if we speak of works from Ukraine, the geography of colleagues and friends is impressive: the Crimea and Donetsk, Kiev and Nikolaev, Khmelnitsky and Chernigov, Odessa and Ternopol.
It was important to meet teachers at the competition who have been supporting both the topic of research of the history of the Holocaust, and the activities of the Ukrainian Research Center of the History of the Holocaust, for years, and not only in professional life, but on the level of personal friendship. I discovered a new name for myself this year – Victoria Keduk. She and her students prepared several outstanding works, and the work of her student Dmitry Alexandrov is prize-winning. Her student Diana Avetyan made a wonderful presentation of her work about perpetuating the memory of Holocaust victims in the Crimea. The map of places of shootings and the genocide of Jews speaks of a thoughtful and laborious work.
The important aspects which students examined this year included regional history, fates of particular people, literature, and philosophic examination. There were fewer works, in comparison with the previous years, were dedicated to the Babiy Yar tragedy, to the questions of religion and are in the Holocaust, to the fates of Anna Frank and Janusz Korchak. However, there were more works of a wide profile, like the history of the Holocaust in Europe. There were fewer works on the leaders of Fascist Germany, but more works on the Righteous Gentiles.
What remained in the memory of the students after the competition? A fairly strict jury. Worries, feelings. And, I believe that they gained an awareness of a new way point that they have crossed with dignity, a new level, to which they were able to grow
There were many computer presentations. The Austrian volunteer of the Center Alex Kirner helped the participants of the competition to solve all technical problems, and also listened attentively to the speeches of the contestants, and worried about them. There were questions. Yes, the children felt a bit worried. They can't allow themselves to be on par with teachers just yet. Even though they deserve this right through their understanding of the topic. It would have been good to have more discussions, sharper discussions. Or maybe to keep it all within the bound of attempts to comprehend. What is more important?
Who is better? It is difficult to say. Yes, there are leaders, there are worthy contestants. There are no losers.
 Who created the most striking impressions? Among the best, most unique works, was the work of a 9th grader from Kremenets of Ternopyl Oblast, Ivan Chechurin, who wrote "The Holocaust in the Kaner Family." Ivan showed the fate of each of the members of this family in detail. And the opinion of the jury coincided with the memory of the students, as Ivan received the "Prize of Listener's Favor" according to the results of a questionnaire. The first place was shared by an 8th grader from Donetsk, Inna Mityukova.
Among the works which impressed me personally, I would single out the work of Konstantine Yarmiy titled “Bloody Eternity.” Kostya had a literary work, and showed the events of war in his homeland through his characters with talent, and his depictions were out of the ordinary, expressive and powerful.
Whom will we meet next year? It is wonderful that some of the students who defended their works a year ago came to this year's competition. It is a pity that the students of the 11th grade who prepared interesting and worthy works were not able to come to the competition (the date coincided with External Independent Testing, and this test determines college entrances), but their works were well presented by the students from their schools.
We remembered those who had participated in such a competition several years ago, and then went to study history, and defended a PhD on the topic soon after finishing it. For instance, Oleg Surovtsev. This means that this competition, for some, became a matter of fate. This is why it should not be undervalued. Maybe it will be as important in someone else's life. One thing I can say for sure – there was nobody indifferent in the audience. There were intelligent eyes. And words of thanks. Until next times, dear friends!
And now, having returned from the competition, I am discussing with my student Vita Mudrenok the topic of her new work. I tell her that she needs to prepare for entrance to the university. That she has her 11th grade ahead of her, and extremely difficult tests. That she'll have no time for working with the history of the Holocaust – that she won't have time for anything... And support her new topic. And give her advice on how to write her new work.
Until next time, 10th Jubilee Competition!
Honored history teacher,
Mitzvah-613 school, Belaya Tserkov.
Svyetlana Zanko
On photo: above – participants of the contest, in the middle – organizers and members of the jury (left to right: director of the Ukrainian Research Center for the History of the Holocaust, member of the General Council of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Dr. Anatoliy Podolskiy; teachers Svyetlana Zanko and Svyetlana Kandeeva; member of the organizational committee of the competition, director of the EAJC program "Tolerance – Lessons of the Holocaust" Dorina Zilbermints); below – defense of a work..
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