Several years ago, in some countries, international commissions were already established to study the facts about the Holocaust, in order to give a clear and critical assessment of what had happened during World War II. This was stated during a discussion at the Kyiv Jewish Forum 2020 by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism, Rabbi Andrew Baker.
“The commissions do an important work by sharing their findings with the public and collaborating with educational programs. I think it can be done in Ukraine,” Baker said.
He also stressed the importance of Ukraine joining the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). “Membership in the IHRA would be a valuable resource for Ukraine, especially when it comes to the history of the Holocaust and the memory of it,” said the representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.
Anti-Semitism, according to Baker, is similar to the Covid-19 virus and it is also dangerous and deadly. “This is a virus the spread of which will possibly decrease, but unlike the Covid virus, there is no vaccine against it, and there will be no such a vaccine,” he stated.
Kyiv Jewish Forum 2020, organized by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine in partnership with the Jerusalem Post, is held online on September 8-9.
As noted by the President of the JCU Boris Lozhkin, a real revival of Jewish life has been observed in Ukraine in the past few years. “The Jewish Confederation of Ukraine seeks to contribute to the development of the global Jewish community, and that is why we organize the Kyiv Jewish Forum – a global platform to discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by the Jewry around the world, as well as to search effective solutions,” said Lozhkin.