Press releases

30 May 2019

Minsk ghetto victims commemorated in New York

Photo courtesy of the MFA

MINSK, 30 May (BelTA) - A joint Belarusian-American commemorative event to observe the 75th anniversary of the destruction of the Minsk ghetto and to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Belarus’ liberation from the Nazi invaders was held in New York on 29 May 2019, on the initiative of the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the United Nations, BelTA has learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN Valentin Rybakov addressed the ceremony and presented the history of the Minsk ghetto. He also briefed the guests about the efforts Belarus has been making to preserve the memory about the Great Patriotic War. Israel recognizes the contribution of the Belarusian people to the saving of the Jews during the war which is manifested through the Righteous Among the Nations award, he said.

U.S. Special Envoy To Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Elan Carr stressed the need to involve the younger generation in the fight against anti-Semitism. He expressed appreciation for the Belarusian-American event, which took place at the U.S. Department of State on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

During the ceremony the former prisoner of the Minsk ghetto, member of the underground movement Savely Kaplinsky and the Belarusian partisan who was part of the Jewish resistance Hone Epstein received the commemorative medals signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Chairman of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America ‘s Heritage Abroad Paul Packer. The commemorative medals were also presented to the participants of the commemorative events on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the destruction of the Minsk ghetto in Minsk in October 2018.

The event was also attended by Charge d'Affaires of Belarus to the United States Pavel Shidlovsky, heads of missions of the United Nations member states, representatives of international Jewish and American organizations, students of several American educational institutions, representatives of the Belarusian diaspora.