Among the distinguished participants were H.E. Michael Brodsky, Ambassador of the State of Israel to Ukraine, Mark Dovev, Head of the Nativ Mission in Ukraine, Binyamin Khaddad, Head of the Jewish Agency for Israel (Sohnut-Ukraine), Stefan Lyakhovych, Representative of Hillel Kyiv, Kateryna Vozianova, Head of the Lo Domim Youth Club at the Jewish Community Center Khalom, Hryhoriy Kolodach, Director of the Bnei Azriel Jewish Chesed Fund and Mariia Miziina, Curator of Exhibition Projects at the Living Memory center of Babyn Yar.

During the ceremony, Mariia Miziina lit the third memorial candle on behalf of the Babyn Yar Preserve and delivered a moving speech:

“Evil always strives for emptiness. It wants us to forget. But our responsibility is to remember. Because as long as we remember—we are strong. We hold a weapon against silence. As Esther Eger once wrote: ‘Pain is not the end of the story. It is only the beginning of our choice.’”

The ceremony serves not only as an act of remembrance, but also as a platform for intergenerational education and dialogue. It reminds us that memory is not a relic of the past—it is a living, urgent call to uphold truth, dignity, and justice.

This year’s event was co-organized by the Israeli Cultural Center “Nativ”, in partnership with the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine, the Jewish Agency for Israel (Sohnut-Ukraine), Hillel Kyiv, the Bnei Azriel Jewish Chesed Fund, and the Khalom Jewish Community Center.

We are deeply grateful for the invitation to join this important tradition of commemoration and collective responsibility.