Архив за January 2012

Alla Gerber, President of the Holocaust Fund against Shirinovski in TV discussion about the national question in Russia

30 2012

30 January 2012

The 6th International Conference of students, PhD students and young scientists "Holocaust remembrance and reminder," claim the introduction of a national Holocaust Memorial Day in Russia

28 2012

January 26 to 28.2012. Last weekend, the 6th Conference of young scientists, PhD students  and students took place under the direction of the Holocaust Fund and Center, the Institute of History and Archives of the Moscow State Humanities University and the Youth Forum for the Study of the Holocaust at the Holocaust Center with financial support of the Russian government.
The conference brought together 25 young scientists from 12 cities of Russia and Belarus, with contributions on "Historical research and the lessons of the Holocaust: open issues", which were presented at plenary sessions and round tables.

On 26 January, they had the opportunity to participate in the memorial ceremony .The conference was held on26th January in the commemoration synagogue, and on 28 th January at the Institute of History and Archives of the Moscow University, where the participants were welcomed by the director, Professor A Besborodov . Prof. Ilya Altman, Dr. Kiril Feferman (Holocaust Center), Dr Aron Schneer (Yad Vashem Hall, of Names), Valery Ivanov, Dmitry Alekseev (Youth Forum Holocaust) and Yekaterina Slotshevska (Memorial Synagogue).guided through the conference.

The topics of the contributions, which attracted  high interest were extremely wide-ranging and varied from concrete historical research methods (interview of witnesses) , the history of the Holocaust in the regions, legal issues  to problems of the building of a historical memory.
One result of the conference was the adoption of a resolution for the introduction of a national memorial day in Russia for the Jewish victims and freedom fighters.
Moscow after Volgograd,  Novgorod Veliky, Saint Petersburg and Kazan the sixth hosting city of the conference.

 

 

RIA press conference:" Does the international Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January become official memorial day in Russia too?"

27 2012

27th January 2012. In the conference participated Eva Schloss (the adopted daughter of Anne Frank's father), the President of the Russian Jewish Congress (REK), Yury Kanner, the co-chairman of the Holocaust Center, Ilya Altman, the chairman of the association " Giving back the dignity " ,Yury Dombrovski and the head of the "Shoah victims Names Recovery Project”at Yad Vashem, Boris Mafzir. At this occasion the coming commemorative events were presented. Yury Kanner appealed to all presidential candidates urging them to include the claim to anchor the remembrance of victims of the holocaust in their election programs and to declare the 27th January as the official commemoration. day.

Russia row over Nazi massacre site in Rostov-on-Don

26 2012

In August 1942 Nazi German troops murdered at least 27,000 people at Zmiyevskaya Balka, regarded as the worst Holocaust atrocity in Russia.
More than half the victims were Jews, the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) says.
A new plaque does not mention Jews, but "peaceful citizens of Rostov-on-Don and Soviet prisoners-of-war".
The RJC, a secular foundation representing Russian Jews, says it will take legal action over the unauthorised decision to replace the former plaque, which spoke of "more than 27,000 Jews" murdered by the Nazis. That plaque had been put up in 2004.
According to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Centre in Israel, 15,000-16,000 Jews were murdered by the Nazis in Rostov-on-Don from August 1942 to February 1943.
In the Soviet Union memorials commemorating victims of Nazi massacres spoke of "Soviet citizens" rather than "Jews".
Rostov-on-Don map
Violation admitted
The former plaque mentioning Jews has now been put in the Zmiyevskaya Balka memorial hall, Rostov's Deputy Culture Minister Valery Gelas told Moscow Echo radio.
He admitted that the rules for historical memorials had been broken, but said the new plaque would remain and "we've done all we can".
He said the wording was in line with historical research and data presented to the Rostov cultural authorities.
He said it was important to specify exactly who was shot at Zmiyevskaya Balka, pointing out that in law the Nazi slaughter of Jews "is considered a separate crime, with separate prosecutions".
"There could have been refugees from Poland, not necessarily Soviet citizens, it's not a question of citizens," he told Moscow Echo.
He said he did not believe the plaque decision was a case of anti-Semitism, rather that it was a local official's "attempt to do something to please somebody".
A Communist MP on the Russian parliament (Duma) committee for nationalities, Tamara Pletneva, said it was time to "forget our bitterness and live in peace".
"The memorial should commemorate all the war victims... the Soviet Union saved Jews, Russians saved Jews... so why single out Jews? We shouldn't single out any ethnic group."
Sergey Shpagin,
Tsentr Holocaust
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16697485

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/25/world/europe/russia-protest-by-jewish-group.html?_r=3

The Article in Hebrew

Memorial night at the synagogue of the Russian Jewish Congress on the "Poklonnaya Hill"

26 2012

26th January 2012. This year 's Holocaust memorial evening took place on 26th January, organized by Fund and Centert Holocaust, the movement "A world against Nazism" with the participation of representatives of Europe and the city of Moscow.
Alla Gerber, president of the Holocaust Fund, led through the evening the evening, which had attracted a considerable number of guests which Alla Gerber brought the central concern of the organizers to a point: "We are committed to do everything that the greatest tragedy of the 20th Century can not be repeated again. And so it is now our main task to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and the courage of those who fought against it."
Boris Spigl first deputy chairman of the committee of the Federation Council for Constitutional Legislation and chair of the movement "World without Nazism" stresses that the history of the Holocaust, which had taken place 70 years ago, is still relevant . And that is why, political leaders and forces in different countries, aiming at a revision of the criteria of the Holocaust and the rehabilitation of the police forces which helped the German army to establish"order" in the occupied territories, justify deliberately fascism. They do not put the Holocaust on the agenda, but allow a resurgence of Nazism.
Then the guests of honor took the word. The Israeli ambassador Dorit Golender stated:"We are obliged to remember all the lessons from the 2nd WW and the Holocaust. And to this it belongs also to know the causes of the Holocaust. We have to think about why this terror was possible and do everything that it will never occur again. We have to explain clearly to the present and future generations: nobody can be indifferent towards anti-semitism, xenophobia and other forms of racial or religious intolerance " For the ambassador the tragedy of her people is linked directly with the tragedy of her family who has sto mourn many victims of the Shoah .
The German ambassador pointed out: "The Holocasut constitutes a crime, which complies with shame. And it will always be a part of the history of my country, which carries a special responsibility for Israel and the Jewish people. "This responsibility constitutes an additional guarantee for resistance against racial hatred and the idea of racial superiority.
Among the guests there were diplomatic representatives from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus Turkey and the Council of Europe.
The participants of the conference spoke Russian, English, German, French and Spanish, but they all understood each other because they spoke a common language of friendship, of respect and of commemorating the past as a mean resisting to evil and violence in the presence.
The participants welcomed heartly an extraordinary guest: Eva Schloss, who went the tragic path of European Jews to Auschwitz. The fate brought his remarkable woman, born in Austria, escaping from the Nazis to Amsterdam together with the Frank family . Denounced by neighbours they were sent to concentration camp first Westerbork and then Auschwitz where her father and brother perished. Eva was liberated together with Anne's father Otto at Auschwitz. Her mother saved in a miraculously way after the war married Otto Frank, and so Eva became Anne Frank’s stepsister. So her presence at the opening of the exhibition "The World of Anne Frank" was of particular importance.. Eva Schloss came to Moscow for the first time and brought with her a book of memories and the military clothing she had received from Red Army soldiers at the liberation.
The organizers had prepared a special surprise for Eva Schloss : on the stage appeared three former soldiers who had liberated Auschwitz in late 1944. One could hardly imagine a meeting more symbolic and moving than that of the liberators and the liberated Yakov Vinitchenko , Ivan Martynushkin, and Yury Rivas-Kravkov are already aged. But they are three of millions of Red Army soldiers who rescued Jews and by that all mankind from the evil of fascism . The president of the REK Yury Kanner thanked all those who today oppose actively the emerge of anti-semitism and xenophobia: he handed over a document about an olive tree planted by the REK in Nazareth to Alla Gerber, Ilya Altman, Yury Dombrovsky and Boris Basyukov. He stress the vital contribution of the Soviet Union in the fight against fascism. The day of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army is the International Holocaust Day, but Russia remains one of the few countries that until now did not turn it into a national memorial day.
It is absolutely necessary to recognize the day officially in order to be in accordance with history and to remember the crimes of fascism, for each people can become a victim of genocide.
According to the tradition of the memorial evening the winners of the 10th International Holocaust competition "Holocaust – Remembrance and reminder" were awarded. The eleven winners from 1775 participants were invited to Moscow for the memorial soiree. The congratulations were made by the director of the UN Information Center in Moscow Aleksandr Gorelik, the director of the project "Giving back dignity " Yury Dombrovski and the director of the Eben-Ezer Fund, Boris Vasyukov.
The evening got an emotional touch by the Jewish choir, led by Aleksandr Zalyuk; the participationof the Roma ensemble “Black Eyes” was of symbolic significance for they represented another people, which became victim of the Nazi genocide . A glamorous accent was put on the soiree got by the contribution of the National Artist Tamara Gverziteli, whose songs will remain for a longtime in the memory of the audience.

Russian students and university students study the history of the Holocaust

25 2012

25th January 2012. The 12th International Student's Annual Conference "Holocaust - Remembrance and admonition” took place on Poklonnaya Hill" in Moscow organized by Center and Fund "Holocaust" and the Jewish Museum: 20 higher class students and their teachers from the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia (from Kaliningrad to the Ural Mountains) took part.
The plenary sessions dealt with methods of working with historical sources and the history of the Shoah with the example of the region Chernivtsi and Pskov.
The sections dealt with the "Righteous among the nations" and "Holocaust in Literature and Art". The work done by the students consists a valuable help for the researchers at Yad Vashem
and may help to identifiy still a considerable number of Righteous. The conference included a guided tour through the museum and a meeting with Eva Schloss, the adopted daughter of Anne Frank's father.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day: program of events in Moscow

24 2012

   24th January 2012. On 26th January 26, 16.30h, memorial synagoge: opening of the memorial exhibition "The World of Anne Frank" in the presence of the Dutch ambassador Onno van Eldernbosch and the director of the Anne Frank House Eva Schloss. The winners of the 10th Holocaust competition will take part in the opening.
19.00h: begin of the commemorative evening organized by the Russian Jewish Congress, Fund and Center "Holocaust” and the movement "A World against Nazism'.

Soiree at the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Moscow House of Cinema

24 2012

24th January 2012. On the eve of the International Holocaust Day a commemorative evening in the House of Cinema was organized by the Israeli embassy in Moscow and Fund the Center Holocaust, It was opened by the Israeli ambassador, followed by a prayer for the deceased and the 83rd Psalm by high religious representatives. The ceremony was also attended by  the  Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov and the Board of Fund and Center "Holocaust" Alla Gerber and Ilya Altman as well as  by the winners of the 10th Holocaust competition.

The Israelian filmmaker Boris Mafzir  presented his film "On the path of forgotten remembrance" about the Yad Vashem Shoah victims Names Recovery Project  to collect the names of murdered Jews. The Secretary General of  the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAEK) Prof. Mikhail Chlenov stated at this occasion "For us it is absolutely essential that in Russia as in the entire civilized world, the International Day of Holocaust victims will be officially recognized. In Russia, a significant number of Jews  were killed, and there are hundreds of places of mass killing such as the Snake Canyon near Rostov.  A national  holiday should be introduced to commemorate the Holocaust victims, as it exists in other countries. This could be a protection against anti-semitism and xenophobia, which would be far from being superfluous. "

Tel Aviv: Presentation of the film "On the path of forgotten remembrance"

23 2012

23th January 2012. The representative of the Russian Holcaust Center in Israel, Gregory Reikhman attended the premiere of the movie "On the path of forgotten remembrance".
The Director of the Russian Cultural Center, Professor Alexander Kryukov stressed the role of the Russian Holocaust Center as an active and competent partner of Yad Vashem, which contributes its part in preserving the memory and transferring the truth about WW II and the Holocaust to the next generation.

Results of the 10th International Competition "Lessons of the Holocaust – a path to tolerance"

16 2012

 16th January 2012. 1775 students, teachers and students from 12 countries and 71 regions of Russia. participated in the 10th international competition.The winners were invited to Moscow.
In the group of students the winner were:
Aleksandra Abramovna (Chernivtsi / Ukraine) with a study on "The Romanian version of the Holocaust - the strategy of expulsion." Supervising teacher: Natalia W. Abramovna.
Mariya Vasilyeva (Pskov region) with the contribution "E I. Ivanova – Boris Kaminarov’s second mother". Supervising Teacher: Olga S. Grigoryeva
Mark Sajfutdinov (Orenburg) with the contribution"An attempt to analyze the poem" Kaddish "by A. Galich. Supervising teacher: Lidiya A.Saiganova
In the group of university students the winners were:
Anna Arsenova (Rostov-on-Don) with "The Tragedy of the Snake Canyon and the preservation of historical memory. Supervising Professor: Sergey A. Špagin,
Julia Bachir (Vitebsk / Belarus) with "The Vitebsk Ghetto during the Great Patriotic War." Supervising Professor: Rostislav V.Timofeyev
Mariya Gileva (Arkhangelsk) " Staying apart ? The attitude of the American society towards the catastrophy of 1933-45." Supervising Professor: Alexey E. Field
In the group of teachers the winners were Oksana V. Zarubina (Nishevartovsk) with "Memory of the Holocaust - way to tolerance" Olga L.Stepanova, (Ivanovo) and "Silent witnesses" in Webquest format JelenaV. Hodsher (Nikolaevsk-on-Amur) with "Arts behind the barbed wire fence"/The winner in the group with creative approaches were:
Julia Rubin (Zarajsk-Moscow region) "Eternal memory to the victims of the Holocaust." Supervising Teacher: Raisa N. Schtiff
Aleksandra Stolyarova (Saransk, Mordvinian Republic) with the story "The Nameless. Supervising teacher: Ludmila V. Tarasova.

Representative of the Holocaust Centre in Israel among the award winners of the website of the Association of concentration camps and ghetto survivors in Israel"

13 2012

13th January 2012. Among the 80 authors who regularly contribute to the website, 11 authors were awarded with the support of the Genesis Fund. among whom is also the representative of the Russian Holocaust center in Israel, Gregory Reikhman.

Former Nazi-prisoners congratulate Alla Gerber 3th January 2012

03 2012

The chairman of the “Association of concentration camps and ghetto survivors in Israel," Gita Koifman and her deputy, Dr Sergey Sushon sent a telegram congratulating Alla Gerber to her 80th anniversary : "In your person we welcome one of the founders and leading personalities of the Holocaust Fund: We in Israel are always aware of the positive results of your activities, particularly in your cooperation with the organizations of former prisoners in Israel. Thanks to you we are always well informed about the events in Russia, the resistance against anti-Semitism and xenophobia, Holocaust denial and revisionism of the results of the 2nd WW. We watch permanentely, the activities at the museum on the Poklonnaya hill dedicated to the Holocaust and the heroism of the Soviet Jewry
We know you as a co-author of the first Russian textbook on "The History of the Holocaust on the territory of the USSR" which provoked a wave of anti-semitic outbreaks, when it appeared in 2001 in an edition of 1,000 copies. You are one of the leading personalities of the anti-fascist movement in Russia, which played a crucial role in the destruction of German National
Socialism. Every year you are accompanied by Russian teachers coming to Israel in order to study not only the history of the Holocaust and Jewish resistance, but also getting to know our country and leaving it as friends of Israel. We are pleased that you very recently awarded with commemorative medal of the 65th Anniversary of the victory over Nazism . You deserve this award for your devotion to,keep alive the memory of the war, the Holocaust and the rebirth of our people. You will soon receive a gift from Fund and Center Holocaust the book "Born to suffer?" published by the "Helping Hand Coalition" Please accept, dear Alla Efremova once again my regard: at the occasion of your birthday I wish you much health, well-being and success in your broad commitment.

The Holocaust Center presents new teaching material about the Righteous among the Nations

01 2012

With the beginning year the Holocaust Centre provides Russian teachers with new teaching material edited by I.A. Altman and D.I. Poltorak. 56 page-long package “The Righteous in Russia, 1941-1945” published by “Russkoe Slovo” Publishing House in late 2011, consists of a collection of documents and methodological recommendations. The first part includes documents and eyewitness reports, cards and photographies, 31 reports either by the rescuers or the rescued people and a description and photos of the Righteous medals and documents.

The second part presented in a form of a brochure offers methodological recommendations for the use of the package.

The volume includes documents and photographs featuring the most outstanding stories how Russsian citizens saved Jews. They are followed by documents describing the rescued Jews who lived or still live in Russia and cover all Russian regions occupied during the war.

Copies can be ordered at center@holofond.ru