European leaders made a solemn visit to the Babi Yar ravine in Kyiv this week, taking time from their diplomatic schedule to honor tens of thousands of Ukrainian Jews murdered during the Holocaust. The visit coincided with their official trip marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Immigration Magnus Brunner and European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno, who oversees efforts to combat antisemitism, led the delegation to the historic site of Nazi atrocities.
During the visit, the European dignitaries spent a full hour at the memorial between high-level political meetings with Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We came to Kyiv for a meeting with President Zelensky and the local government to express our unwavering support for Ukraine and renew solidarity with it,” the European leaders told Rabbi Levi Matusof, Chabad representative to the European Union and representative of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Ukraine (FJCU), who accompanied the delegation. “This visit emphasizes Europe’s steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and its struggle for freedom.”
The officials emphasized the symbolic importance of their presence at Babi Yar, stating: “We took advantage of this special opportunity to come here, to Babi Yar where tens of thousands of Kyiv Jews were murdered, to show that we stand firmly behind the words ‘Never Again’. In days when antisemitism is spreading in the world, we want to express support for the Jewish people and strongly condemn every case of antisemitism. We support Israel’s right to defend itself against bloodthirsty enemies who seek to destroy it.”
The commemoration included a candle-lighting ceremony, followed by Rabbi Raphael Rutman, Vice Chairman of the FJCU, reciting the traditional “El Maleh Rachamim” memorial prayer for the victims. Rabbi Rutman also briefed the European officials on the Federation’s ongoing work supporting Ukrainian Jews throughout the year, which has intensified significantly since the outbreak of the war.
In a more personal religious outreach effort, Rabbis Matusof and Rutman also assisted Jewish diplomats and staff members participating in the delegations with putting on tefillin.
The Babi Yar ravine is the site where Nazi forces and their collaborators murdered some 50,000 Jews, marking one of the largest single mass killings of the Holocaust.
