“NOVOZLATOPIL TRAGEDY 1941- 1943”

On May 29^th, 2007 the opening of Memorial “Novozlatopil Tragedy 1941- 1943”, commemorating 1200 perished Jews, has been conducted in Novozlatopil village of Zaporizhzhia region.

Novozlatopil is a former Jewish settlement. In 1929-1941 it was the administrative center of Jewish national area, which was 50% populated by Jews. Side by side Jews and Ukrainians survived Holodomor in 1932-1933. But not all managed to survive during Nazi occupation.

In this day people who are not indifferent to Jewish tragedy have gathered near the memorial: Yevgen Chervonenko, Zaporizhzhia Region governor, Nokhum Erentroi, Zaporizhzhia Chief Rabbi, Inessa Nosenko, “Mazal Tov” Zaporizhzhia Jewish Community Center Director, Amir Ben Zvi, JDC Executive Representative in Eastern Ukraine, Yulia Gur, Dnipropetrovsk Israel Cultural Center Director, Dr. Igor Shchupak, Tkuma All-Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies, administration representatives, teachers and others. The Region governor has been honoured to open the memorial. Yevgen Chervonenko emphasized that opening of the memorial is relevant not only for Zaporizhzhia Region but also for the whole Ukraine, Europe and World. It’s pleasant that the memorial has been made not forcibly but on people’s own initiative – those who are not indifferent to Jewish tragedy.

Rabbi Nokhum Erentroi has read Kadish for perished Jews.

Tetiana Zogot, former Novozlatopil resident, could not stop crying: “1200 guiltlessly shot down Jews are buried in this grave. There was nobody to read prayer for them and light remembering candles. After I had come back from evacuation in Novozlatopil in 1944 I had been working as a secretary in village board and I have found the lists of shot down Jews among the papers. The lists numbered over 900 persons. At the moment I’m still holding the list which is still burning my hand… It is necessary to visit this sacred place and lay the stones near the memorial because they are the tears of the whole Jewish nation”.

The group of people, who have initiated and then realized the idea of the Memorial erection, is named Private Initiative “Toda” (Josip and Lesia Veksler). The Memorial has been established thanks to their efforts, efforts of the sculptor and the architect, support of the region governor and Zaporizhzhia Rabbi, and other not indifferent people.

        Siren commemorating perished Jews has finished the ceremony. The participants laid flowers and stones to the Memorial.