The National Historical and Memorial Preserve “Babyn Yar”, in partnership with the Charitable Foundation of the Uman Historical and Cultural Center (HCCU) and the NGO “Ukraine Incognita”, has launched a joint informational guide, “Historic Cemeteries: Jewish Necropolises of Ukraine”. This project is dedicated to preserving, studying, and raising awareness of Jewish cemeteries across Ukraine. According to the European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative (ESJF), 1 323 Jewish necropolises have been surveyed throughout Ukraine.

The booklet, “Jewish Necropolises of Ukraine”, provides a concise overview of these cemeteries and an accessible map for exploring them across the country. The guide also serves as a powerful testament to the deep integration of Jewish communities within Ukrainian culture and society. “Burials and cemeteries are the roots of our memory. We cannot fully understand our heritage if we lose sight of the traces of our ancestors”, — stated Roza Tapanova, Director of the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Preserve.

As stated in the 1979 U.S. President’s Commission on the Holocaust report, “That was the Holocaust, an era we must remember not only because of the dead; it is too late for them.Not only because of the survivors; it may even be late for them. Our remembering is an act of generosity, aimed at saving men and women from apathy to evil, if not from evil itself”. This mission underscores that remembering the Holocaust alone is not enough, we must also protect Jewish cemeteries as enduring evidence of Jewish life and the profound impact of Jewish culture in Ukraine.

After World War II, the Soviet government attempted to erase Jewish history and tragedy from public consciousness. “It is our duty to guard that memory not only for the past but for ourselves”, — Tapanova emphasized.

The online map of Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine is available on the European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative (ESJF) website at https://www.esjf-cemeteries.org/surveys-map

This initiative invites both Ukrainians and the global community to engage with these historic sites, preserving the legacy and memory of communities that contributed so richly to Ukraine’s cultural heritage.