- December 15, 2024
- 2:08 pm
- Ukraine
“03/26/2022 Russian invaders fired at and damaged a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in the vicinity of Kharkov. The Nazis are back. Exactly 80 years from now.”
On December 14, 1941, one of the most terrible pages of the Holocaust in Ukraine began – the mass executions of Jews in Drobitsky Yarlocated on the eastern outskirts of Kharkov.
Within a few days German Nazis killed between 16 and 20 thousand people, including men, women and children.
Rashism – modern Nazism
December 14, 1941 marked the beginning of the Drobitsky Yar tragedy – one of the most terrible wounds of the Holocaust inflicted on Kharkov. However, the history of mass extermination of people on ethnic grounds, alas, has modern parallels. Today, Russian troops, using methods reminiscent of the Nazis, are destroying Kharkov, bombing residential areas and killing civilians indiscriminately of their nationality.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, thousands of Kharkiv residents have died as a result of rocket attacks, artillery shelling and aerial bombing. Among the victims are Ukrainians, Jews, Russians, Gypsies and representatives of other nationalities, who together are experiencing the next round of tragedy. Attacks on residential buildings, hospitals, schools and memorial complexes – such as the Drobitsky Yar memorial in March 2022 – are clear evidence that Russia ignores all norms of humanitarian law.
The irony is that a country that calls itself a “liberator from fascism” is actually repeating the worst practices of the Nazi regime, destroying people's lives and culture. In this context, the destruction of Kharkov by Russian “racists” becomes a new page in the bloody chronicle of the city, where people of all nationalities, united by a common tragedy, are again dying.
Tragedy of Drobitsky Yar
After the occupation of Kharkov on October 24, 1941, the Nazis began a population census, separately registering Jews and Gypsies. Already on December 14, an order was issued to move them to barracks on the outskirts of the city, where a temporary ghetto was organized.
A few days later, mass shootings began.
Doomed drove in groups of 250–300 people in Drobitsky Yar. They didn’t waste bullets on children—they were thrown into pits alive. Already at the beginning of 1942, the Kharkov ghetto ceased to exist. Captured Red Army soldiers and mentally ill people were also shot in the pit. In total, according to the State Archive of the Kharkov Region, about 16–20 thousand people were shot.
On December 5, 1941, the Kharkov city government, on behalf of the German military command, adopted a resolution on conducting a general census and registration of Kharkov residents, starting on December 6, 1941. Residents of Jewish nationality were ordered to be registered separately from other townspeople on special yellow census forms. In total, 125 thousand of these yellow forms, intended exclusively for registering Jews, were printed.
The census ended on December 12, 1941. As a result, 10,271 people of Jewish nationality were identified in the city:
— 1959 children under 16 years of age (999 girls and 960 boys);
— 5405 women;
– 2907 men.
On December 14, 1941, after the completion of the census and preparatory work, the military commandant of the city, Lieutenant General Alfred von Puttkamer, issued an order according to which the Jews of the city of Kharkov were to move to the ghetto barracks within two days, until December 16, 1941.
The exact number of Jews exterminated in Drobitsky Yar has not yet been established. The generally accepted figure is more than 16 thousand victims, although there are sources pointing to 20 thousand or more executed…
Already in December 1943 – after the first liberation of Kharkov – the trial of war criminals began, which was described by Ilya Erenburg and Alexey Tolstoy. Then, from the reports of Sovinformburo, the whole world first learned about gas vans – gas vans and Zyklon B gas.
Remembering the victims: creating a memorial
After the war, the history of Drobitsky Yar began to be forgotten, but in 1988 an initiative group was created to perpetuate the memory of the victims. In 1991, a competition was held to create a memorial complex. Its authors were the architect Alexander Leibfreud and the artist V. Savenkov.
Construction of the memorial began in 1992, but work stopped due to lack of funds. The situation changed in 2000, when construction was resumed. Already in 2002, the first part of the complex was opened: a memorial sign in the form of a menorah, an alley and a monument.
Significant dates:
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1941 | Mass executions in Drobitsky Yar |
| 1992 | The decision to build a memorial |
| 2002 | Opening of the first part of the complex |
| 2016 | The memorial received the status of a cultural monument |
| 2022 | Damage to the memorial during Russian aggression |
Drobitsky Yar and modernity
In 2016, the memorial complex received the status of a monument of local importance, but the war again damaged it. On March 26, 2022, during Russian aggression, the memorial was damaged by artillery shelling. The menorah, symbolizing the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, was damaged by explosions.
This was reported by the press service of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine.
“At the exit from Kharkov (towards the city of Chuguev) on March 26, 2022, as a result of artillery shelling by the Russian Armed Forces, a monument in the form of a Menorah at the entrance to the Drobitsky Yar memorial complex was damaged,” the message says.
“Russian invaders shelled and damaged a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in the vicinity of Kharkov. The Nazis are back. Exactly 80 years later,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense wrote.
These words not only describe the damage to the memorial, but also highlight how modern warfare is reviving the shadows of the past.
What is Drobitsky Yar for Israel and Ukraine?
Drobitsky Yar is a symbol of the common tragedy of the Jewish and Ukrainian peoples. The history of the Holocaust in Ukraine has particular significance for Israel, where many families of Jewish settlers preserve the memory of their ancestors who died during the war.
At the same time, this place reminds the world of the importance of combating anti-Semitism and preserving historical memory. Cooperation between Ukraine and Israel in restoring Holocaust memorials confirms that both countries value the memory of the victims and are ready to work together for peace and justice.
Bottom line
Drobitsky Yar is not only a part of the history of Ukraine, but also a world heritage. This tragedy shows how important it is to remember the lessons of the past in order to prevent their repetition. NAnews — Israel News continues to monitor how events of the past resonate in the present.
The victims of Drobitsky Yar will not be forgotten, and their memory will serve as a reminder that the world must be built on the principles of respect and justice.
Leave a comment on WhatsApp – channel NAnews ↓ — Israel News
Leave a comment on Telegram – channel NAnews ↓ — Israel News
