On January 27, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed worldwide, and Lviv is no exception. Representatives of Jewish communities, local officials, and residents gathered to pay tribute to those who lost their lives during this tragic period in history. They lit candles and laid flowers at monuments in Lviv to commemorate this solemn date.
The event began at the monument to the victims of the Lviv Ghetto on Chornovola Avenue, where the community prayed for the souls of the deceased. Later, they moved to the memorial stone of the Janiv Camp on Kovcha Street to continue their remembrance.
Iryna Kulynych, the Deputy Mayor for Humanitarian Affairs, addressed those present: “There are only a few ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ still alive in Ukraine. Your memory and respect for the past will help us preserve the history of these horrific events so that they do not happen again in the future.”
According to historical data, the Lviv Ghetto was one of the largest in the USSR and the third largest in Eastern Europe. It existed for two years, during which more than 136,000 Jews passed through it. The conditions in the ghetto were horrific: hunger, lack of medical care, and open acts of pogroms. Total German control did not allow Jews to move freely, use public transport, or visit public places. A chilling reminder of this period is the ‘Tango of Death,’ performed by the orchestra of prisoners at the Janiv Camp. The total number of victims exceeds 250,000 people, but the exact figure has not been established.