XVIII Annual Roundtable “HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION AND THE UKRAINIAN SOCIETY: HERITAGE AND THE CHALLENGES OF TODAY”
On 27 January 2025, on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we held the traditional 18th annual Roundtable Holocaust Commemoration and the Ukrainian Society: Heritage and the Challenges of Today”. The XVIII Roundtable was organised by the Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies, the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine, and the House of Europe.
This year’s dedication marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the end of World War II, 80th anniversary of the United Nations, 30 years to the Srebrenica genocide, and also 11 years of russian war against Ukraine. Discussions focused on the importance of remembering the Holocaust and preserving Jewish heritage today, especially in the context of ongoing conflicts.
The Remembrance, Heritage, Museums session (moderated by Anastasiia Haidukevych-Kachuro) explored the creation of a Babyn Yar museum (speaker: Vitalii Nakhmanovych) and the challenges involved. Participants also discussed the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide (by Lesya Hasydzhak) and the Genocide Museum Territory of Memory in Odesa (by Tymur Korotkyy), highlighting their relevance during the current war. The Tracks of Memory project (introduced by Matthias Richter), using interdisciplinary tools to commemorate heritage, was also presented. Two major public cultural projects were shared: the exhibition Ukrainian-Jewish Century. Pictures and Stories from the 1920s through 2024 by Centropa (introduced by the founder, Edward Serotta) and audio lessons on the Holocaust by Lesya Yurchyshyn and Oleksandr Voroniuk, both praised as adaptable educational tools.
Session Remembrance through Education (moderated by Olha Limonova) covered teaching the Holocaust to various age groups. Anna Lenchovska from the NGO Educational Centre Tolerspace discussed methods for working with teenagers during three years of war. Nadiia Ufimtseva presented a manual for teaching Holocaust history in higher education, highlighting key challenges.Olena Zaslavska shared an example of an effective university curriculum, the Interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Jewish Studies at A. Krymsky Institute of Oriental Studies, discussing the challenges it faces and solutions.
We sincerely thank everyone who joined the Roundtable live, and to all Ukrainian and foreign speakers for sharing their experiences. In February, videos of the presentations will be posted on the UCHS YouTube channel. Thanks to our partners, Goethe-Institut in Ukraine and the House of Europe programme, for their support in organizing this event. As a reminder, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 60/7 in 2005, proclaiming 27 January as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, highlighting the importance of education and awareness to prevent future hatred, bigotry, racism, and prejudice.
(Programme of the Roundtable in Ukrainian)
(Program of the event in English)
(Photo gallery)
