Keith Patterson  recently shared this Holocaust oral history website with me, and I've started listening to a few of the interviews. Not only do I know very little about the history of persecution during World War II when the Nazis invaded western Russia, but I also know very little about the geography of that region. And yes, there was a Holocaust in Ukraine, in case you've seen any misinformation about that recently.

The video on the main page of this Yahad-in Unum site describes the project. It's short and informative. After that, I would suggest clicking on the interactive map and simply choosing a half dozen or so dots to get an idea of the oral histories in which survivors and witnesses tell their stories. Most were small children when they witnessed persecution and executions of Jewish (and Roma) neighbors and family members. That's something that our own students can relate to and that teachers can stress if they use these interviews in their teaching. 

History repeats itself, we're told. How is it being repeated in Ukraine today? 

Father Patrick Desbois, Founder and President of Yahad -In Unum

  Holocaust    Ukraine    Western Russia