On November 2-3, a series of educational events organized by “Tkuma” Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies took place in Uzhhorod. The main attention was focused on the history of the Catastrophe of European Jewry, forms of resistance to the Nazi genocide, and moral dilemmas that face a person in times of war and genocide. Such activities are not only an important part of historical memory, but also a powerful tool for civic education and the formation of critical thinking in modern society.
The educational events were conducted by Dr. Yehor Vradii, Deputy Director of the Institute for Scientific Work, and Dr. Faina Vynokurova, a leading researcher of the history of the Holocaust in Ukraine, Deputy Director of the State Archives of Vinnytsia Region for Scientific and Methodological Work.
F. Vinokurova's lecture-discussion on the topic “Confrontation of the individual to the policy of Nazi genocide and the problem of human choice” was devoted to the problem of resistance to the Nazi genocide of Jews, namely, the human dimensions of the struggle against the backdrop of an unprecedented Catastrophe. In the stories about the Saviors and Righteous Among the Nations of the world, those present were able to see not only examples of heroism, but also the exceptional power of humanism and humanity, which was manifested even in the darkest periods of history. Similar stories inspire today, when humanity is once again faced with trials that challenge the basic values of freedom, dignity and solidarity.
On the same day, Dr. Yehor Vradii spoke about the human dimension of the phenomenon of rescuing Jews during the Holocaust, namely about the unique story of Righteous Among the Nations Jan Chodorowsky (1918-2007) – a native of Lviv region, who managed to save the lives of almost three dozen people, and himself survived in conditions of Nazi and Soviet imprisonment. His story is not only an example of personal courage, but also evidence of how even one person can change the fate of many. Stressing the importance of remembering such heroes, Dr. Vradii focused on the significance of their experience for modern Ukraine, which is going through new challenges, in conditions of full-scale war.
The Holocaust and the genocides of the 20th century in general became possible under conditions of absolute disregard for seemingly inseparable human values – personal freedom, the right to choose, the right to preserve one’s own ethnic and religious identity. However, the restriction of rights almost never occurred simultaneously. Imperial regimes for a long time nurtured an atmosphere of distrust, hostility and intolerance among enslaved peoples, contributing to the spread of xenophobia in its various manifestations. This was discussed in the lecture by Dr. Yegor Vradii, which took place the next day. In particular, the lecturer showed how the authorities of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries instrumentalized the creative legacy of the outstanding Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861) to attract the Ukrainians of enslaved Ukraine to their side and instill in them an intolerant attitude towards other ethnic and religious groups – primarily Jews and Poles. The current war against Ukraine has already shown that very often the heirs of the traditions of Russian imperialism continue to act according to the unchanged patterns of the past, more than a century ago.
The similarity of the phenomena did not leave the audience indifferent, which resulted in a long joint discussion of all participants of the lesson. The listeners received with great attention ideas about the parallels between the past and the present. So, the series of these lessons in Uzhgorod once again proved that the history of the Holocaust remains not only a tragedy of the past, but also an important lesson for the modern world.
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