On September 26 the Final stage of XVІ International Contest of creative works “Lessons of the War and the Holocaust – Lessons of Tolerance”, organized by Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and «Tkuma” Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies has started in Dnipro. This year more than 250 creative works were sent to the Contest, they were not only from all over Ukraine, but also from neighboring countries – but only the best works reached the Final stage.

Evaluation of the Contest participants creative works was held by the following jury members: Rayisa Yevtushenko, chief specialist of the Education content department, language policies and education of national minorities of General Directorate of General Secondary and Preschool Education of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, prof. Tetiana Ladychenko, head of the Methods of Teaching Public Disciplines and Gender Education Department of the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University, head of the All-Ukrainian Union of History and Civic Education Teachers (Kyiv), dr. Yehor Vradii, deputy director of “Tkuma” Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies, dr. Faina Vynokurova, deputy director of Scientific and Methodological work of the State Archives of Vinnytsia region, Oleksandr Davletov, professor of the of World History and International Relations Department of Zaporizhzhia national university, journalist Iryna Kaminska, philologist dr. Nataliia Ostrovska, Larysa Peliukh, teacher-methodologist, Iryna Piskarova, head of “Tkuma” Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies Educational department, dr. Igor Shchupak.

University students, graduates, school students and teachers today shared their creative, scientific, and search work. Among the works that were defended during the first day, in particular, the following: “The artistic world of poems about the Kolomyna ghetto in the collection of D. Pavlychyk “Jewish Melodies”” (Oleksandr Smyrnov, Zaporizhzhia), “The vision of the Holodomor of 1921-1922 in a small prose of Valeryan Podmohylnyi through the artistic detail prism” (Oleksandr Cherkas, Kyiv), “The study of the everyday life of Ostarbeiters from the Rivne region through the lens of their personal correspondence (1941-1945)” (Anastasia Datsiuk, Rivne region), video film “The Holocaust. Memory and pain” (Uliana Shulha, Valeria Merkulova, Dnipro), poignant poems about the Armenian genocide of 1915 “Remember, do not forget, remind” (Karyna Akopian, Chernihiv region), incredible 3D exhibition “The Light of Hope” (Svitlana Predko, Cyrylo Boiko, Dnipro), “Organization of research activities during history lessons with the use of visual sources of information in World War II and the Holocaust studies” (Taras Pylypchuk, Rivne), complex of interactive games “The tragedy which rock the ages!” (Liudmyla Bylous, Zaporizhzhia region) and other not less interesting works.

The guided tour at the Museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine”, held by dr. Denys Shatalov, head of the Museum department and researcher Valentyn Rybalka waited for the participants. The work of the Contest will continue tomorrow, and many more interesting and original presentations will wait for us.