Israeli president in Ukraine to honor Holocaust victims
Israel’s president is in Ukraine to honor the victims of the Babi Yar massacre eight decades after one of the most infamous Nazi mass slaughters of World War II
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Israel's president arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday to honor the victims of the Babi Yar massacre eight decades after one of the most infamous Nazi mass slaughters of World War II.
Nearly 34,000 Jews were killed within 48 hours in Babi Yar, a ravine in the Ukrainian capital, when Kyiv was under Nazi occupation in 1941. SS troops carried out the massacre with local collaborators.
“It is imperative to keep speaking about this horrific event and learn its lessons,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said before arriving for the first state visit of his presidency.
“The only way to build a present and future in which atrocities and crimes against humanity can find no foothold is to study the past, including the Holocaust and persecution of the Jewish people,” Herzog said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after meeting with Herzog, “The memory of these victims is sacred for us, for each Ukrainian.”
Zelenskyy, Herzog and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier are set to attend a ceremony Wednesday to remember the victims of the massacre.
The three are also scheduled to inaugurate a memorial center, still under construction, dedicated to the stories of Eastern European Jews who were killed and buried in mass graves during the Holocaust. Of the 2.5 million Jews, 1.5 million died in Ukraine alone,