Holocaust

“Protecting Memory”: project activities in 2014

The project “Protecting Memory: Protection and Memorialisation of WWII Jewish Mass Graves in Ukraine” started in our country several years ago and successfully continues into 2014. Owing to the support of German Federal Foreign Office the educational component of this project is also developing.
This year we are happy to greet new participating teachers and students from Volhyn, Lviv and Rivne oblasts of Ukraine and also the teachers who continue the cooperation within the project since 2013.
In the end of August a study-trip for the project participants took place. The teachers had a possibility to learn more about the Holocaust history in Ukraine and Europe, about the new findings of the research compound of the project, exchange experience with their colleagues and familiarize with results of last years’ educational working groups. However, most emotional part of the study-trip in Lutsk and Lviv regions was a possibility to visit the places of memory in Prokhid, Bakhiv and Kysylyn of Volhyn oblast, Ostrozhets of Rivne oblast and Rava-Ruska of Lviv oblast. Despite the fact that the sites themselves are not yet properly memorialized, the possibility to visit the
places, hear testimonies by witnesses and survivors and learn about the fate of local Jewish communities on the site of the tragedy had a great influence on the participants.
After the study-trip the participants defined focus topics of their new working groups to be founded in schools with their students with the aim to research local history, history of the Jews, their life and death, protecting the memory of their multicultural Motherland.
Last year the participants came up with extraordinary brochures, exhibitions, school bulletin boards, films, maps and other products. Judging from the application forms, this year looks even more promising. This was also testified to by students, who gathered in Kyiv for a meeting in the end of November.
The educational programme for 2014 includes one more meeting with teachers and the final presentation event to take place in the end of the year.