Israeli officers visit Babyn Yar

A delegation of 180 Israel Defense Forces officers arrived in Ukraine September 5 on a three-day visit. Their stay in Kyiv began with a ceremonial rally near the Menorah Monument in Babyn Yar (in the photo), where tens of thousands of Jews were killed during World War II. The program also included a ceremonial march of the Israeli military from the Kyiv Motorcycle Plant to Babyn Yar, but, due to a flight delay, the ceremony began immediately with laying wreaths at the monument. Alex Lvovsky, head of the Sochnut Jewish Agency, Moldovan branch, told The Day, “It is a great honor for every Israeli to visit a place where thousands of his compatriots died. Babyn Yar is a household name in Israel. This is why the visit began with precisely this place. This unites us.” After the Babyn Yar ceremonies the Israeli officers laid wreaths to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. During the visit, the delegation met Ukrainian Ministry of Defense officers, war veterans, familiarized itself with Jewish life in Ukraine, and observed a Sabbath together with the local Judaic community.

According to Mr. Lvovsky, the Israel Defense Forces is a people’s army which pays great attention to arousing a profound feeling of patriotism and national pride in Israeli young men and women (the latter also serve in the army). For this reason, delegations of the most distinguished Israeli officers annually visit places related to the Holocaust in various countries of Europe. This year the Israeli military, assisted by the Sochnut Jewish Agency, decided for the first time to visit Ukraine. Before that, they visited Poland, including Auschwitz and other places connected with the Jewish people’s Holocaust experience.