Russian Jewish Congress

03/16/2022

01/30/2022

"REMEMBRANCE WEEK" SET A RECORD

This year, despite the pandemic, the "Holocaust Remembrance Week" made a record in a number of acts and venues: more than 1,000 cultural, educational, memorial events have been held simultaneously in 82 regions of Russia. Such a scale confirms that the history of the Holocaust has ceased to be a sore point only for the Jewish people. The memory of this tragedy united the state, society, volunteers, philanthropists and all Russians.

On January 27, the Moscow Musical Theater "Helikon-Opera" hosted a charitable memorial evening "Keeper of Memory", which traditionally became the main event of the "Remembrance Week". On this day 77 years ago, the Red Army liberated the largest N**i death camp "Auschwitz".

The evening began with greetings from President Vladimir Putin, which was read out by Sergey Novikov, Chief of the Presidential Directorate for Social Projects.
"It is our duty to preserve and pass on to future generations the truth about the events of the Second World War, to protect its actual heroes as a common priceless treasure, to stop attempts to justify the monstrous atrocities of N**i criminals and their accomplices, and always remember that the indulgence of nationalism, aggression, racism, antisemitism and Russophobia can cause the catastrophic, horrific consequences. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the "Remembrance Week" organizers, participants, volunteers and everyone who values historical truth in Russia and other countries and shows civil responsibility," the President of Russia noted in his greeting.

Then the host of the evening, a multiple winner of the TEFI award, journalist and actor Sergey Mayorov, invited Anna Boksh*tskaya, Executive Director of the Russian Jewish Congress, to the stage.
"Today, the events of the "Remembrance Week" are held at many public venues and Internet resources, and hundreds of thousands of people of different nationalities, religions and ages take part in them. This means that the Holocaust has ceased to be perceived merely as a Jewish tragedy. There is a growing recognition that this is the most important event in global history, the tragedy of the humanistic worldview. The Holocaust affected each of us. We hold the "Remembrance Week" so that none of us will ever forget about it. We cannot change history, but we must do everything to ensure that the tragedy of the Holocaust never happens again," Anna Boksh*tskaya said.

The Chair of the Federation Council of Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and the Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin addressed the participants of the evening.

"We are obliged to preserve reliable information about prisoners of death camps, gas chambers and crematoriums - about everything that is difficult to understand and even more difficult to accept - for future generations. In this regard, the systematic work of the Russian Jewish Congress, its active participation in the life of our multinational state, is particularly in demand and significant. Its important spiritual, moral, educational and social initiatives are a significant contribution to an atmosphere of tolerance, suppression of manifestations of chauvinism and xenophobia. I am sure that the important humanistic and cultural mission of such projects as the "Remembrance Week" will continue to serve to strengthen unity between people, mutual respect and harmony, regardless of religion or worldview," Valentina Matvienko said.

Sergey Lavrov's greeting was read out by his deputy Sergey Vershinin: "I am convinced that the events such as the "Remembrance Week" organized by the Russian Jewish Congress are meant to contribute to the common efforts to stop dangerous trends and preserve historical truth. I wish you further success in your noble work and all the best," the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation wrote.

The award of the Russian Jewish Congress "Keeper of Memory", presented to outstanding people who have made a special contribution to the preservation of the Holocaust memory, was awarded for the fourth time in a row. This year the Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin; poet and activist Yevgeny Yevtushenko (posthumously); Governor of the Volgograd Region Andrey Bocharov; artistic director of the Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Russia Rimas Tuminas; Ilya Altman, one of the founders and co-chairman of the Holocaust Center and Foundation have got the award.

The Head of the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of the city of Moscow, Vitaly Suchkov took the award on behalf of the Mayor of Moscow. Mikhail Shvydkoi, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, announced the winner.
Sergei Sobyanin and the Moscow government support memorial programs aimed at preserving the memory of the Holocaust: the "Holocaust Remembrance Week", the multimedia exhibition "Saviors", the exhibition "Holocaust: Destruction, Liberation, Salvation", the "Chronicles of the Catastrophe" film festival, as well as projects aimed at countering xenophobia, antisemitism and racism, including the Moscow International Conference "Protecting the Future".

Yevgeny Yevtushenko is the first person who told the whole world about the terrible tragedy in Babi Yar - ravine in Kiev, where tens of thousands of Kiev Jews were shot by the N**is in September 1941. The poem "Babi Yar" was translated into seventy-two languages within a week after publication in the "Literaturnaya Gazeta" and was at the top of page one of the world's leading media. The poet participated in many memorial actions and events dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust victims. Nina N**irova, Head of the Exposition and Exhibition Department of the E. Yevtushenko Museum-Gallery of the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia, was invited to the stage on behalf of the poet's heirs. The award was presented by Viktor Vekselberg, a member of the RJC Presidium Office, the Consul of the RJC for combating antisemitism.

The chairman of the Moscow City Duma Alexey Shaposhnikov handed the award for the Governor of the Volgograd Region Andrey Bocharov to the Deputy Governor Anna Pisemskaya. Andrey Bocharov supported the unveiling of a monument to the Holocaust victims on the anniversary of Kristallnacht in 2021. This monument was the ninth installed in the Volgograd region.

Rimas Tuminas regularly addresses the topic of the Holocaust in his work. The theatrical performances "Smile at us, Lord!", "False Note" and "Diary of Anne Frank" immerse the viewer in the world of the tragedy. The play "Our Class" at the Vakhtangov Theater tells about the tragedy in the Polish town of Jedwabne, where all Jews - more than 1,500 people - were driven into a barn and burned in July 1941. Rabbi Edvabne Avigdor Belostotsky entered the barn first, he became the prototype of one of the characters of the play. The Rabbi's great-grandson is alive. His name is Daniil Stroyakovsky, Board Certified in oncology, candidate of medical sciences, head of the department of the 62nd City Hospital of Moscow. He presented the "Keeper of Memory" award to Rimas Tuminas.

Ilya Altman is an author and editor of more than 400 publications on Holocaust history and genocides, editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust in the USSR, co-author of scripts for many films about this tragedy. He heads the Holocaust Center which is the first organization in the post-Soviet space dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust victims in a variety of ways: documentary exhibitions, educational programs for universities and schools, publishing manuals and books, archival work, conferences and much more. Today, the Holocaust Center is a long-standing partner of the RJC in organizing the "Remembrance Week" and implementing the "To Return Dignity" program. Ilya Altman was presented by Igor Marich, a member of the Board of Directors of the RJC, a member of the Board of the Moscow Exchange.

The "Keeper of Memory" statuette is called the "Candle of Memory" and has a special symbolic meaning. It is manufactured at the plant located in the village of Yantarny in the Kaliningrad region. This Russian region, the former East Prussia, is a special place on the map of the Holocaust. This is the only territory in our country where the Holocaust began back in November 1938 - with the events of Kristallnacht. The last mass extermination of Jews by the N**is on the territory of our country happened in the same region - just near the village of Yantarny (in those days it was called Palmniken): the N**is shot about seven thousand Jews, mostly women, on the Baltic Sea coast during the "death march" on January 31, 1945, after the liberation of Auschwitz.

According to a long-standing tradition, the evening at the Helikon Opera was charitable. The funds raised will be applied toward the program of the Russian Jewish Congress "To Return Dignity". 100 monuments to the Holocaust victims have already been unveiled in Russia at the mass graves of Jews executed by the N**is on the territory of our country (there are about 500 such places in the Russian Federation) as a result of this program.

The eyewitnesses of the Holocaust from the Moscow Public Organization of Jewish former prisoners of the ghetto and N**i concentration camps, which has been supported by the Russian Jewish Congress for many years, became the special guests of the evening. Each of these people survived by a miracle. Shostakovich's 13th symphony "Babi Yar" was performed by the choir and orchestra of the Helikon Opera in their honor and in memory of all 6 million victims of the Holocaust. The solo part was performed by the famous bass Alexey Tikhomirov.

The eighth "Holocaust Remembrance Week", a series of memorial and educational events timed to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, takes place in Russia from January 17 to February 4, 2022. It is organized by the Russian Jewish Congress with the support of the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs, the Moscow Government and the Holocaust Center. The detailed program of events planned both in Moscow and in the regions is published on memoryweek.ru.

01/28/2022

Holocaust Remembrance Day returned to Russian schools

The order signed by the First Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Alexander Bugaev (document is available to the RJC) amends the calendar plan of educational work for the 2021/2022 academic year. According to the document, the memorable date January 27 is returned to the educational plan - "The Day of the Liberation of the largest death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz) by the Red Army - Holocaust Remembrance Day".

The memorable date - January 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day - was excluded from the calendar of educational events for the 21/22 academic year. This issue was raised in the panel on education (the panel was moderated by Robert Singer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the World ORT Organization and Chairman of Center of Jewish Impact) at the Third Moscow International Conference on Combating Xenophobia, Antisemitism and Racism “Protecting the Future” on November 22-23, 2021, organized by the Russian Jewish Congress. Following the discussion, members of the RJC Public Council Alexander Asmolov, who participated in the panel, and Nikolai Svanidze raised the issue of returning this important date to the educational calendar on December 9, 2021 at the session of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (Prof Asmolov is Doctor of Psychology, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education, Head of the Department of Personality Psychology, Faculty of Psychology at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Mr. Svanidze - Russian journalist and public figure, TV and radio host. Professor and Head of the Department of Journalism, Institute of Mass Media at Russian State University for the Humanities). The President supported this proposal and declared the need to remember the atrocities of the N**is against the Jewish population.

Earlier, RJC President Yuri Kanner addressed an official letter to the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Kravtsov with a request to return International Holocaust Remembrance Day to the educational calendar. The head of the RJC also made a comment.

“Elimination of the date from the educational calendar deprives teachers who teach classes in schools during the "Holocaust Remembrance Week”, which has been held annually in Russia since 2015 and covered 75 regions in 2021,” noted Yuri Kanner. “The topic of Holocaust cannot be excluded from school, just as it is impossible to separate the Victory of the Red Army and its allies over N**ism from the history of the Jewish people.”

Lessons on the history of the Holocaust in Russian schools are traditionally an important part of the "Holocaust Remembrance Week". "Holocaust Remembrance Week” (January 17 - February 4) is being held in Russia for the eighth time. It is organized by the Russian Jewish Congress with the support of the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of the City of Moscow, the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs of the Russian Federation and the “Holocaust” Center. This year more than a thousand events of the “Remembrance Week” are taking place in eighty regions of Russia.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day had previously been removed from the calendar of educational dates for 2019/2020, but then the ministry explained this as a technical error, which was soon corrected. The error has been fixed this time. We hope it won't happen again.

01/27/2022

Ilya Altman, co-chairman of the Holocaust Center and advisor to the President of the Russian Jewish Congress, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by the Ambassador of Germany to Russia, Geza Andreas von Geyr. The ceremony was held at the Ambassador's residence in Moscow.

The Russian Jewish Congress wholeheartedly congratulates Ilya Altman on this important appreciation of his merits, a fundamental contribution to the commemoration of the Holocaust victims. We wish Ilya Alexandrovich the strength and energy to break new ground in his important work!

01/25/2022

For the eighth time, the RJC with the support of the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs, the Moscow Government and the Holocaust Center is holding a "Remembrance Week" — a series of memorial and educational events dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, when the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz death camp in 1945.

Responding to the appeal of the RJC and the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs, most regions of Russia hold commemorative, cultural and educational events dedicated to the Holocaust. Lessons on the history of the Holocaust are given in schools in almost all regions of the Russian Federation.

The events of the "Remembrance Week 2022" include a research and practice conference of students and young scientists at the RSUH and the Memorial Synagogue on Poklonnaya Hill "Holocaust: Memory and Warning"; an online laboratory of the project "To Return Dignity"; webinars on the history of the Holocaust for Moscow and regional teachers; an online evening of the RJC and the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Moscow dedicated to the Lithuanian Righteous Among the Nations.

The comprehensive list of events (there are more than 900!) is published on the website of the "Remembrance Week" at https://www.memoryweek.ru/
Join us!

01/20/2022

THE FESTIVAL OF FILMS ABOUT CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY "CHRONICLES OF THE CATASTROPHE" HAS OPENED IN MOSCOW

It offers a public program, VR cinema and an online project dedicated to Babi Yar.
The Third International Film Festival about crimes against humanity "Chronicles of the Catastrophe" is being held in Moscow from January 19 to 23, 2022, as part of the eighth "Holocaust Remembrance Week" organized by the Russian Jewish Congress.

The "Remembrance Week" is an annual series of events organized in different cities of Russia and timed to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. It is supported by the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs, the Moscow Government and the Holocaust Center. The organizer is the Russian Jewish Congress. The "Chronicles of the Catastrophe" is supported by the Department of Culture of the city of Moscow.

The film festival opened at the Pioneer Cinema on January 19, at 07:30 PM. The guests watched the film "The Champion from Auschwitz" about the famous Polish boxer Tadeusz "Teddy" Pietrzykowski a week before its official release.

From January 20 to 23, more than 20 film screenings are planned at the festival, which will be held at three venues: the Engineering Building Cinema Hall of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Oktyabr Cinema and the Documentary Film Center. The key event of the festival is Sergey Loznitsa's film "Babi Yar. Context", which will be screened at all venues with the support of the Documentary Film Center. This year Sergey Loznitsa received the festival's special prize "For Preserving the Memory of Crimes against Humanity in Cinema".

The public program of the festival includes meetings with the filmmakers: Alexander Zeldovich, Elena Yakovich, Daria Violina, Sergey Pavlovsky, Eva Pechatnikova, as well as journalists and film critics: Tatiana Malkina, Nadia Papudoglo, Alice Taezhnaya, Egor Sennikov, Katya Fedorova.

The online part of the festival is represented by the project "Babi Yar. 80". At 33771.novayagazeta.ru you can read and see how the tragedy of Babi Yar affected culture and art. The video interview for the project was recorded by philologist Oleg Lekmanov, writer Dmitry Bykov, founder of the project "Moscow through the eyes of an engineer" Airat Bagautdinov. Boris Maftsir's film "The Road to Babi Yar", as well as exclusive fragments from the film "Babi Yar. Context" are available on the website.

On January 21, the VR cinema will be launched at the Documentary Film Center. It will let everyone travel into the past and immerse in the details of the Holocaust tragedy and N**i crimes. Three diverse projects will be presented, including a new interactive VR project of RIA Novosti "Nuremberg. VRdict of Nations."
Viewing is free, but registration is required: https://kinomemoryweek .taplink.ws/

01/19/2022

Today, the Genesis Prize Foundation announced Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, as the winner of the award for 2022.
He received the highest number of votes in a recently concluded global campaign, in which more than 200,000 people from 71 countries voted. His election was unanimously approved by the Genesis Foundation Select Committee.

The Committee noted Dr. Bourla's contribution to the development of a coronavirus vaccine: unlike other companies, Pfizer rejected a federal subsidy from the US government in favor of developing the corona vaccine (billions of dollars) to avoid government bureaucracy and government bureaucracy. As a result, the vaccine was developed in record-breaking time. The Select Committee also noted Albert Bourla's deep commitment to Jewish identity, Jewish values and his support for the State of Israel.

The Genesis Prize, known as the “Jewish Nobel”, is an annual prize designed to miraculously bring out of the ordinary people whose work inspires the next generation of the Jewish people. Albert Bourla became the ninth winner of the award. The list of winners includes Steven Spielberg, human rights activist Natan Sharansky, philanthropist Robert Kraft, violinist Itzhak Perlman, actor and producer Michael Douglas and others.

The President of Israel Isaac Herzog will present the Genesis Prize to Dr. Bourla at a ceremony in Jerusalem planned for June.
The Russian Jewish Congress supports the decision of the Genesis Prize Committee and congratulates Albert Bourla on this award.

Let's remember that in October 2021, Academician Alexander Gintsburg, Head of the Gamaleya Center and developer of the world's first corona vaccine Sputnik V, became the winner of the Global Influence Award of the Russian Jewish Congress.

Both of these awards are not accidental: today, during the pandemic, the lives of millions of people depend on the achievements of doctors and medical managers.
We wish them success!

01/19/2022

The official opening of the annual - the eighth in a row - "Holocaust Remembrance Week" took place in the Digital Business Space. This annual series of memorial and educational events is timed to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. On this day in 1945, the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz death camp.

The "Remembrance Week" is organized by the Russian Jewish Congress with the support of the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs, the Moscow Government and the Holocaust Center.
Anna Boksh*tskaya, Executive Director of the Russian Jewish Congress, who was invited to the stage by the host of the ceremony, film critic and member of the RJC Public Council Anton Dolin, opened the "Remembrance Week".

"For eight years, the "Remembrance Week" has become an important tradition in our country. On this day, we not only remember the six million victims of the Holocaust but revere the memory of the soldiers who defeated N**ism. Three sorrowful anniversaries of this year are connected with the history of the Holocaust, Jewish resistance and attempts to destroy Jewish culture. These are three 80th anniversaries: the conference in Wannsee, the shootings in Zmeevskaya Balka and the formation of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAC) headed by Solomon Mikhoels. One more date is the 70th anniversary of the liquidation of the JAC leaders," Anna Boksh*tskaya said.

"There is a difference between urgent matters and important matters. The pandemic, the economics are urgent matters, we will deal with them. Whereas the important things are the ones that we have to do all the time: we must always remember," Alexander Ben Zvi, Israel's ambassador to the Russian Federation spoke at the ceremony.

For the first time, the "Remembrance Week" opened with a movie screening: the movie "Plan A" has premiered in Russia. The film by Israeli directors - brothers Yoav and Doron Paz - tells about a group of Jews who survived the Holocaust and decided to poison the water supply system in Germany and kill six million Germans. The film was included in the program of the central cinema event of the "Remembrance Week" — the "Chronicles of the Catastrophe" festival, which will be held in Moscow from January 19 to 23. Anton Dolin and producer Evgeny Gindilis have told about the film festival, which will present almost twenty films about crimes against humanity at five venues.

The prize "For Preserving the Memory of Crimes against Humanity in Cinema" was awarded to the documentary and fictional filmmaker Sergey Loznitsa. His new film "Babi Yar. Context", which drew a great response in many countries, will be screened in Russia on January 20. The winner was announced by producers Alexander Rodnyansky and Sofia Kapkova.

The musical part of the evening included the suite "Sketches for Sunset", written by Leonid Desyatnikov for Alexander Zeldovich's film "Sunset" based on the play by Isaac Babel. The film tells about the adventures of the Jewish gangster Mendel Krik in Odessa during the First World War, and the music combines the themes of tango and Klezmer. The piece was performed by Roman Mints (violin), Alexey Kurbatov (piano), Ivan Bushuev (flute), Mikhail Beznosov (clarinet), Pavel Stepin (double bass).

Film director Dmitry Astrakhan, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania Eytvidas Bayarunas, actor Pavel Galich, gallery owner Marat Gelman, Ambassador of Hungary Norbert Konkoi, producer Leonid Roberman, TV anchor Vladislav Flyarkovsky, political scientist Mark Urnov, film director Elena Yakovich, other creative and business leaders, diplomats, trustees and members of the RJC Public Council were among the guests.

This year, the "Remembrance Week" is held from January 17 to February 4, 2022, in a hybrid form. Key events are held offline in compliance with all health safety precautions.
Traditionally, the memorial evening "Keeper of Memory" will be the main event of the "Remembrance Week". It will be held at the Helikon-Opera on January 27. On that day, the Russian Jewish Congress will hold the "Keeper of Memory" prize ceremony, which is awarded annually to outstanding people who have made a special contribution to the preservation of the Holocaust memory.

The events of the "Remembrance Week 2022" include performances "Cabaret Terezin", "The Black Book of Esther", "Two. Chaplin and Mikhoels", "Faina. Echelon"; a research and practice conference of students and young scientists at the RSUH and the Memorial Synagogue on Poklonnaya Hill "Holocaust: Memory and Warning"; an online laboratory of the project "To Return Dignity"; webinars on the history of the Holocaust for Moscow and regional teachers; an online evening of the RJC and the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Moscow dedicated to the Lithuanian Righteous Among the Nations.

Hundreds of memorial, cultural and educational events dedicated to the Holocaust are held in almost 80 Russian regions. The detailed program of events planned both in Moscow and in the regions is published on memoryweek.ru.

01/18/2022

YOU CAN'T ERASE THE MEMORY

From January 17 to February 4, during the “Holocaust Remembrance Week”, the international campaign "We remember" will be held on social networks, uniting those who oppose any forms of xenophobia, downplaying the scale of the Holocaust and revising the history of the Second World War. In our country, this campaign is being held by the Russian Jewish Congress together with the World Jewish Congress.

Any user of social networks can participate: you just need to take a picture with a piece of paper saying “We remember", and post this photo to a social network with the hashtag . Users of social networks light candles (both ordinary and virtual), write touching messages, demonstrating solidarity with all those who are not indifferent to the tragedy of the Holocaust.
Every year the project gathers an increasing number of participants: people of various nationalities and professions, including top officials of states and ministers. The hashtag of the campaign went beyond the virtual space: the Israeli airline El Al posted it onboard its aircraft flying the Tel Aviv-Berlin route.

In Russia, state, public and creative characters, ambassadors of foreign states, school teachers and students, and even Russian astronauts joined the campaign previously: the Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz, Prime Minister of Belgium Charles Michel, President of Argentina Mauricio Macri, Vice-Chancellor of Germany Sigmar Gabriel, Minister of Foreign Affairs of German Heiko Maas and many others.

The previous record for the number of participants in Russia and abroad is 1.5 million people in 50 countries. We hope to beat it by the end of January, while this Internet campaign continues.

The “Remembrance Week” is an annual series of memorial and educational events that is timed to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. According to the UN decision, the day was chosen for this memorable date when the Red Army liberated the most terrible N**i death camp Auschwitz in 1945. It is organized by the Russian Jewish Congress with the support of the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs, the Moscow Government and the Holocaust Center.

01/18/2022

THE EIGHTH "REMEMBRANCE WEEK" IS HELD IN A HYBRID FORM

From January 17 to February 4, 2022, the eighth annual "Remembrance Week" is held in Russia. This annual series of memorial and educational events is timed to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. On this day in 1945, the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz death camp.

The "Remembrance Week" is organized by the Russian Jewish Congress with the support of the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs, the Moscow Government and the Holocaust Center.
Some of the events will be held online. However, it was decided to hold key events offline, and they will be organized in compliance with all health safety precautions.

Traditionally, the memorial evening "Keeper of Memory" will be the main event of the "Remembrance Week". It will be held at the Helikon-Opera on January 27. On that day, the Russian Jewish Congress will hold the "Keeper of Memory" prize ceremony, which is awarded annually to outstanding people who have made a special contribution to the preservation of the Holocaust memory.

You can get a ticket to the "Keeper of Memory" evening on https://www.memoryweek.ru/hranitel-2/
All guests are welcome to make charitable donations. The funds raised will be applied to the "To Return Dignity" program, in terms of which more than 90 monuments to the Holocaust victims have already been unveiled in Russia.

This year, the "Remembrance Week" opened with a movie screening for the first time: today, the movie "Plan A", starring August Diehl ("Inglourious Basterds", "The Counterfeiters") and Sylvia Hoeks ("The Best Offer", "Blade Runner 2049"), has premiered in the Digital Business Space. The movie tells about a group of Jewish Holocaust survivors who decided to poison the water supply system in Germany in 1945.

The movie festival "Chronicles of Catastrophe", which opens on January 19, will traditionally be the central movie event of the "Remembrance Week". The audience will watch movies about the Holocaust and participate in discussions with invited guests: each discussion will be devoted to a view of the Holocaust through one of the art forms: cinema, music, literature, contemporary art and theater. During six days of the festival (it will last until January 23), almost twenty movies will be shown at five venues. As part of the screening, a special prize "For Preserving the Memory of Crimes against Humanity in Cinema" will be awarded. The movie festival, as well as the "Keeper of Memory" evening, will be held with the support of the Department of Culture of the city of Moscow.

This year there are two theatrical events in the program of the "Remembrance Week": on January 17, the performance "Cabaret Terezin" took place in St. Petersburg, and on January 25, a musical performance "The Black Book of Esther" will be presented in Moscow. The "Cabaret Terezin", widely known abroad, is based on musical and textual works created in 1942-1944 by prisoners (including famous Jewish artists and pop stars) of the N**i concentration camp Theresienstadt. "The Black Book of Esther" directed by Evgenia Berkovich covers the topic of xenophobia as a common civilizational problem that takes different forms at different stages of human history.

Most regions of Russia are holding memorial, cultural and educational events dedicated to the Holocaust. Thus, schools of almost all regions of the Russian Federation will give lessons on the history of the Holocaust.

The events of the "Remembrance Week 2022" include a research and practice conference of students and young scientists at the RSUH and the Memorial Synagogue on Poklonnaya Hill "Holocaust: Memory and Warning"; an online laboratory of the project "To Return Dignity"; webinars on the history of the Holocaust for Moscow and regional teachers; an online evening of the RJC and the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Moscow dedicated to the Lithuanian Righteous Among the Nations.

During the "Remembrance Week", the international campaign "We remember" will be held on social networks, uniting those who oppose any forms of xenophobia. In Russia, this campaign is being held by the Russian Jewish Congress together with the World Jewish Congress.

As of today, representatives of more than 75 regions of Russia have confirmed their participation in the "Remembrance Week". The detailed program of events planned both in Moscow and in the regions is published on memoryweek.ru.