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Belarus, U.S. hold Holocaust commemorative event

Photo courtesy of the Belarusian Embassy in the United States

MINSK, 2 May (BelTA) – The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United States Department of State held a joint event to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, BelTA learned from Belarus’ Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleg Kravchenko.

The meeting hosted by the U.S. Department of State on 1 May attracted the attention of the U.S. and international community to Belarus’ efforts to preserve the memory of the victims and heroes of World War Two. This year the main theme was the 75th anniversary of the destruction of the Minsk Ghetto.

Among the co-organizers of the event were the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Belarusian Embassy in the United States, and the U.S. Department of State. Attending the event were over 100 people, including representatives of the Department of State and other government bodies of the United States, Jewish organizations, diplomats and journalists. Among the special guests of the event were Saveliy Kaplinsky, the Minsk Ghetto survivor and the war veteran, and also Svetlana Gebeleva, the daughter of Mikhail Gebelev, the head of the underground movement at the Minsk Ghetto.

A photo exhibition arranged in the hall of the Diplomacy Center at the U.S. Department of State features the materials from by the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War. The exposition will stay open for a week.

Speaking at the event were Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Oleg Kravchenko and acting Assistant Secretary at the United States Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker.

The event also included the screening of the film “Minsk Ghetto Chronicles”, an interactive discussion with Saveliy Kaplinsky who answered numerous questions form the audience, and a Belarusian cuisine-themed reception on behalf of the Belarusian Embassy in the United States.

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