JCU and Yad Vashem are preparing the Book of the Righteous Among the Nations in Ukraine to the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy – Boris Lozhkin

This has been shared on Facebook by the President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine Boris Lozhkin.

Today, Ukraine ranks fourth in the world in terms of the number of the Righteous, reminds Lozhkin. However, according to him, there are two important factors to consider: "First, the set of criteria for conferring the title of the Righteous is very strict. Second, the main stage in establishing the facts of salvation fell on the Soviet period of the Ukrainian history, when anti-Semitism on the state level was especially strong". Therefore, many salvation stories have stayed undocumented, writes the JCU President.

There are 2,659 Righteous Among the Nations in Ukraine today, officially recognized by the special commission of Yad Vashem, headed by a representative of the Supreme Court of Israel.

There were many such Righteous who sheltered Jews in Kyiv during the Babyn Yar massacre.

The Book of the Ukrainian Righteous, which will be published on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the mass shootings in Babyn Yar, which has become a tragic symbol of the Eastern European Holocaust, is dedicated to them and many other saviors of Jews.

"2,659 Righteous Among the Nations – these are 2,659 stories full of drama, each of which serves as a unique example of courage. Many of these stories with photographs of the saviors and the saved ones will be included in the Book of the Righteous Among the Nations in Ukraine," writes Lozhkin.

As a reminder, Boris Lozhkin has recently spoken about the Ukrainian roots of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. According to Lozhkin, the history of the Blinken family symbolizes the unity of Ukraine and the United States.