By COLlive reporter
Photos: Mevaser Tov Moscow
Seventy-seven years ago, the Red Army liberated prisoners of the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, Poland. In honor of this day, marked as International Holocaust Memorial Day, a ceremony was held in the Jewish Museum in the center of Moscow.
It began with the recital of the “Keil Molei Rachamim” prayer by Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar. In attendance were Mr. Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Rabbi Alexander Boroda, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia, government representatives, dozens of ambassadors, community leaders, museum administrators, and many media outlets.
The event took place in the Jewish Museum, which opened its doors nearly a decade ago with the financial support of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. It has seen tens of thousands of visitors monthly, many of them hearing for the very first time about the suffering of our people on Russian and European soil during the Second World War. They also learn about the history of the Jewish People since the creation of the world, which undoubtedly causes newfound respect towards the Jewish population. The impact of this can clearly be felt with antisemitism in Russia now at an all-time low.
As part of the assistance projects to aid Moscow’s elderly Jews, the Shaarei Tzedek Chesed Center will start providing cellphones for the elderly to be able to connect when in need of assistance.
The seniors receive assistance from the Chesed Center on a daily basis through a variety of programs which include various workshops, motivational talks, encouragement, and more.
The first to participate in this project were the Jewish veterans who fought against the Nazis. The project opened on International Holocaust Memorial Day by the founder of the Chesed Center, Rabbi Lazar, who personaly visited 94-year-old veteran Mr. Kushnerov who fought in the Soviet army.
Rabbi Lazar put up a mezuza on his door, and presented him with the new device. Upon receiving this gift, Mr. Kushnerov’s face lit up, and he expressed his thanks for all the assistance that he receives throughout the year from the Center’s employees and volunteers, who together with the JOINT, are of great aid to Moscow’s thousands of elderly and needy.
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In related news, Russian First Deputy Education Minister Alexander Bugayev announced that the day of the liberation of Auschwitz – Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is marked on January 27 – will be returned to the educational curriculum of Russian schools in the current school year.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Day was removed from the calendar of educational events for 2019/2020 which the Education Ministry attributed to a technical error, according to the Interfax news agency.
Rabbi Lazar publically thanked Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov and Bugayev for the change.
“To preserve the historical memory in its entirety is our duty towards those who were murdered by Nazi criminals, and towards those who defeated the Nazi Reich and hoisted the flag of victory over the Reichstag,” he wrote in a letter.
He added: “I would especially like to emphasize how important it is in the educational process to pay attention not only to the humanities or natural sciences but also to those professions that develop in children respect for traditional spiritual and moral values.
“I am convinced that the lessons that shed light on the difficult and heroic pages of the history of our country – serve this noble cause, and are no less important than all the others.
“Thanks to such activities, children will develop their moral qualities, and will be able to grow up as loyal citizens who remember its history and traditions.”
