A new plaque that was recently placed at a Holocaust memorial in Russia omits any mention of Jews, even though more than half of the 27,000 people killed at the sight were Jewish. The August 1942 massacre at Zmiyevskaya Balkais is considered the worst Holocaust atrocity in Russia.
RJC, a secular organization that represents Russian Jews, plans to take legal action over the omission and replacement.
According to the BBC article:
RJC president Yuri Kanner said the site was “Russia’s Babi Yar” – a reference to the notorious Nazi mass shootings of Jews near Kiev during World War II.
He said it was important to specify exactly who was shot at Zmiyevskaya Balka, pointing out that in law the Nazi slaughter of Jews “is considered a separate crime, with separate prosecutions.”
“There could have been refugees from Poland, not necessarily Soviet citizens, it’s not a question of citizens,” he told Moscow Echo.
He said he did not believe the plaque decision was a case of anti-Semitism, rather that it was a local official’s “attempt to do something to please somebody.”
