Memory of Babyn Yar

Sachinformation

What is the unit about?

Babyn Yar is a symbol of the tragedy of the Holocaust and Nazi crimes on Ukrainian land, of which millions of people became victims. Babyn Yar became the grave of Jews, as well as Ukrainian patriots, militaries, Roma and other citizens. In just two days, on September 29^th and 30^th, 1941, about 34,000 Jews were killed. According to various sources, about 100,000 people were killed during the Nazi occupation of Kyiv (1941-1943).

Babyn Yar is the name of a ravine in the suburb of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The first sources stating this place date back to 1401, when these lands were sold to a Dominican monastery. At the beginning of the 20^th century, this place was called “the Kyiv Switzerland”, due to its impressive landscape and a train passing by.

During WWI, on September 19, 1941, after 78 days of fierce defense, Soviet troops left Kyiv. On the same day, German troops entered the city. The subsequent German "New Order" brought death and violence. The first victims of Babyn Yar were the Kyiv Jews and Roma who were killed on September 20^th, just one day after the National Socialists took over. On September 28^th, announcements appeared in the city, ordering all the Jews of the town to come to the Lukyanivska cemetery immediately.

Many people guessed that going to Babyn Yar meant their death. On September 29^th, 1941, tens of thou­sands of Kyiv‘s residents set out on their last journey. Before killing people, the soldiers of Sonder­kommando forced them to take off all their clothes.

In the Soviet Union, they tried either to hide the truth about these bloody events or to use them for propaganda purposes.

At the Nuremberg Tribunal in 1946, it was found out that the operation to exterminate the Jews in Babyn Yar was carried out by Sonderkommando 4A of the SS Eisantzgruppe under the leadership of Standartenführer Paul Blobel. Only Germans served in it.

However, a detachment of Ukrainian policemen consisting of 300 people from the local population was also involved in the operation. It was formed from the Prisoners of War’s camp in Zhytomyr. They sorted things and delivered the Jews to Babyn Yar.

Until the mass murder in Babyn Yar, the massive killing of people was hidden by Nazis. Some details about it were only seldomly revealed. But the brutal murders in Babyn Yar were public and victims were invited to the place of murder by public announcements. This teaching unit reveals the events in Babyn Yar and reminds us how important it is to prevent violence to other nations and preserve peace.

Which materials are used?

Within the five lessons, the pupils work with extracts from textual and visual sources, including an eyewitness account (material 4), a document (material 3), and photographs (material 7). Worksheets facilitate individual and group work (materials 1, 3, and 11). Additional details are provided by background information and a glossary to the teacher (materials 8 and 12). These materials aim to developing the pupil’s understanding of the scale of Babyn Yar’s tragedy, the victims and perpetrators of the committed crimes, and the meaning of this fragment of holocaust for historical memory formation. Short videos serve as starters for new topics (materials 2, 5 and 9).