Preserving our Holocaust memory is the key to our future

There are so many reasons why my city, Kyiv, fills me with pride. It is the engine of Ukraine’s economy and the heart of our blooming democracy. During the last decade, we have hosted several of Europe’s highest profile events – The Eurovision Song Contest, the Congress of the World Boxing Council, the UEFA Champions League final and the European Football Championships. In so many ways, Kyiv is unquestionably a global city. But as Mayor, it is my job to keep the city moving forward. I am convinced that Kyiv’s potential remains unfulfilled. We really can become one of Europe’s truly great capital cities. The answer though, lies in our past, writes Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko.

Here in Ukraine, we have a complicated history, which we have yet to truly come to terms with. If we want our city and our country to reach new heights, now is the moment to squarely face our history.

Ukraine has made enormous strides since independence – economically, socially and politically. We should be incredibly proud of these achievements, especially considering our recent past. Like so many of my compatriots, the difficult memory of Soviet rule remains very fresh. It is not just part of our history, it is part of our lives. Processing what Soviet rule meant for Kyiv and Ukraine is complex and deeply personal.

The immense challenge of our raw past also means that we have overlooked another terrible chapter - The horror of Nazi occupation in our city and the Holocaust which took place here. Too many Ukrainians remain unaware of what exactly unfolded during the darkest days of World War Two. One and a half million Ukrainian Jews fell victim to Nazi terror and an even greater number of their non-Jewish neighbors. The Jews living in Kyiv during this period were almost entirely decimated. The Nazi era was a traumatic Jewish and Ukrainian tragedy. But rather than brush this painful period aside, we must embrace it as part of our national story.

To this end, we should follow the examples of other European countries. The likes of Poland and Germany itself have refused to let the Nazi era cast a debilitating shadow over them. They have found a way to respectfully untangle the past, to commemorate what happened and learn its dreadful lessons. As a result, they have developed societies strongly characterized by tolerance, diversity and respect. It is no coincidence that so many of the world’s great cities have built a renowned Holocaust memorial or museum, including Washington, Los Angeles, Warsaw, Amsterdam and Berlin. These sites have become a focal point to learn from a tragic past.

Kyiv’s Holocaust memorial is well overdue. That is why I believe that the development of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center is a significant moment for the future of our city. More than anywhere, Babyn Yar symbolizes the trauma of Kyiv’s Nazi occupation. What transpired at the Babyn Yar ravine on the city’s edge exactly 79 years ago is perhaps the most evil act on Ukrainian soil. In just two days, Nazi forces callously shot dead 34,000 Jews, mainly women and children. Babyn Yar continued to be the site of mass murder for the duration of the occupation, with tens of thousands of Ukrainians, Roma and mentally ill also executed there. This haunting site, in the midst of our city, is Europe’s largest mass grave.

And yet, until now there has been no fitting memorial, no public space to tell this dreadful tale. The Soviets attempted to erase Babyn Yar from sight and memory, building roads and a park over the site of mass extermination. Nation-specific suffering, both Jewish and Ukrainian, was anathema to the Communist worldview and so Babyn Yar was practically removed from the historical narrative. It is our duty to restore our precious history.

The Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center will be this region’s largest, most significant and technologically advanced Holocaust Museum. Already, the Center’s researchers have pieced together new details of victims and of local residents who saved their neighbors. Innovative tools will be used to tell these stories, which must never be forgotten.

Like other prominent Holocaust museums across the world, I believe that the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center will help strengthen our city and its reputation. Not only will it attract countless people to Kyiv. More importantly, its presence and its mission will help us as a city and as a society, to make peace with the past. In other words, it is exactly the platform we need, in order to build a better future.