This day is an opportunity to reflect on those who, risking their own lives, tried to save Jews from certain death during the Holocaust.

The discussion focused on questions of personal choice, humanity, and responsibility in times of war and occupation. Participants spoke about what motivates people to save others despite the danger to themselves and their families, and reflected on parallels between the events of the Second World War and today’s Russian-Ukrainian war.

The invited speakers included:
— Anatolii Podolskyi, Head of the Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies;
— Yevhenii Levinzon, Executive Director of the Certificate Program in Jewish Studies and great-grandson of Bentsion Shuster, who was rescued by Righteous Among the Nations Anna Stashchenko;
— Oleksandr Dukhovnyi, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine of the Progressive Judaism communities and descendant of Holocaust survivors;
— Yehiel Fishzon, representative of the Association of Ukrainian Immigrants in Israel;
— Olena Palamarchuk, artist and daughter of Righteous Among the Nations Lidiia Savchuk and artist Isaac Tartakovskyi;
— Yuliia Goldenberg, Director of the charitable foundation “For You”;
— Roza Tapanova, Director of the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Reserve.

The discussion was moderated by Olena Zaslavska and Marat Strakovskyi.

During the event, participants reflected on two central questions:

– Why did completely different people risk their own lives and the lives of their families to save others — both acquaintances and strangers?

– Why do unarmed people living under occupation resist and help Ukraine, while in free Ukraine there are also collaborators who assist the enemy? Is this also a matter of personal choice?

Some of the participants’ reflections included:

“In my opinion, this is part of human nature. There have always been people who consciously chose evil in times when law and order collapsed. But there have also always been those who saved both friends and strangers, even at the risk of their own lives.”

“For such selfless actions, a high level of moral development is necessary, and such people are not easy to raise. At the same time, traitors exist everywhere. It takes only a few traitors for tragedy to happen, while many courageous and selfless people are needed to save even a few lives. Another problem is that we know most stories of betrayal, but only selected stories of rescue, which distorts our understanding of history.”

“During war and occupation, people who rescued others understood the danger facing both themselves and their families. I believe they were driven not by heroic ambitions, but by ordinary human compassion, empathy, and the desire to protect and help others. They could not bear the moral burden of refusing help to innocent people. Some fought the enemy in the army, others in resistance movements. These people resisted the Nazi system of destruction by saving lives. Most importantly, it was their own personal choice — not something ordered from above.”

Organizers of the event:
— Zionist Federation of Ukraine
— For You Charitable Foundation
— Diye-Slovo Studio
— Osher Schwartzman Specialized Library of Jewish Literature
— Association of Ukrainian Immigrants in Israel

Media partner:
EVREI.TV

May 14 marks the Day of Remembrance of Ukrainians Who Rescued Jews During the Second World War. This commemorative date was officially established by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in 2021.

You can watch the full recording of the discussion here: