RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS IN UKRAINE: HEROIC DEEDS AND MEMORY. The Role of Orthodox Clergy and Believers in Saving the Jewish Population from the Holocaust during the World War II

Abstract

The purpose of the study. To examine the role and participation of the Orthodox clergy and believers in saving the Jewish population from the Holocaust during the World War II and to understand the Babyn Yar tragedy in order to perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust victims and the “righteous among the nations” in Ukraine. The methodological foundations of the study are based on the principles of historicism, scientific objectivity, systematicity, and a dialectical approach to historical phenomena. In accordance with the aim and objectives, a combination of general scientific, interdisciplinary, and special research methods was used. Scientific novelty. The author analyses the evidence and statistics on the participation of Orthodox clergy and believers in saving the Jewish population from the Holocaust during the World War II. It is emphasised that the rescue and hiding of Jews by Ukrainians during the German occupation was, without exaggeration, a sacrificial and heroic feat, because, according to the orders of the occupation authorities, not only those who did it, but also all members of their families were threatened with execution. Examples are given of how the rescue of Jews by Ukrainians was not just the actions of individual citizens, but of entire groups of people, including fellow villagers. It is noted that the actual number of Ukrainians who saved Jews from the Holocaust is actually many times higher than the official Yad Vashem data. It is noted that there are at least 1 436 residents of different regions of Ukraine who are officially classified as “righteous among the nations” in other countries. Thus, if we add to the official figure of 2 673 Ukrainian righteous people another 1 436 residents of different regions of Ukraine on the lists of other countries, we will have at least 4 109 recognised “righteous people.”  It is emphasised that in many of these cases, the religious beliefs of the rescuers played an important role. This aspect is still the least studied. However, there are grounds to say that the religious feelings and beliefs of many Ukrainian Righteous were key to their choices and actions. Attention is drawn to the problem that, due to the lack of sources and the irretrievable loss of eyewitnesses, it is now extremely difficult to determine the inner motives of religious consciousness that influenced the feat of Ukrainian saviours, as well as the names of many saviours who remain unknown. It is noted that no thorough and systematic research has yet been conducted on the role of the Orthodox clergy and believers in saving the Jewish population from the Holocaust during the World War II. The author emphasises the need to continue searches and research that will help to discover new names and deeds of Ukrainian “righteous.” Attention is drawn to the problem that, in the context of the current Russian-­Ukrainian war, the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church actively uses and promotes neo-imperial narratives of the “Russian world” in the Orthodox environment to justify military aggression. Ukrainian war, the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church actively uses and promotes neo-imperial narratives of the “Russian world” in the Orthodox environment to justify military aggression, which, as in Nazi Germany, are imbued with xenophobic and anti-­Semitic ideas. It is emphasized that the study, promoting, and honoring the deeds and memory of the Righteous Among the Nations will contribute to the formation of positive moral guidelines among both priests and believers of Christian denominations in Ukraine, thereby preventing the spread of pseudo-­religious chauvinistic, xenophobic, and Black Hundreds ideas.