It is the Day of Ukrainian Righteous among the Nations today
It is the Day of Remembrance of Ukrainians who saved Jews during World War II in Ukraine today. The State of Israel awards the rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust the honorary title of the Righteous among the Nations. Therefore, May 14 is also called the Day of Ukrainian Righteous among the Nations.
According to Yad Vashem — The World Holocaust Remembrance Center, 2,691 Ukrainians are now officially recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. This is the fourth place in the world.
About a hundred people from this list are residents of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region. Many of the stories of rescuing Jews by them are connected with their help to the inmates of the Kharkiv ghetto, who were shot on the territory of Drobytsky Yar in late 1941 — early 1942.
At the site of the mass executions of Jews there is a memorial sign with the inscription: “The Dead Teach the Living Here.”
Alas, not everyone learned the lesson from those events.
In the spring of 2022, Drobytsky Yar was subjected to massive shelling. The territory of the memorial is still 80% not cleared of mines. The plans for the restoration of the complex are nevertheless already underway.
The consequences of the devastation from the russian shelling are likely to be left unchanged. The words “The Dead Teach the Living Here” have taken on a new meaning after the spring of 2022.
