This cryptic place was my first glimpse and a sad reminder
of Ukraine’s horrific past. On September 29, 1941 all the Jewish citizens of
Kiev and its surroundings were ordered to meet at Babi Yar with all of their belongings.
Being told the lie that they would be transported and resettled in a safer
location to start a new life, thousands eagerly obeyed. Once gathered they were
asked to sort their possessions, strip naked and enter a ravine. It is in that
ravine where machine gun fire would rain down on the unsuspecting victims and in
just 2 days 33,771 Jews were killed. 
This was the single biggest massacre of
the entire holocaust and the Nazi’s would try to hide the evidence by later
burning all the corpses and barbarically spreading the ashes around the
surrounding countryside. This was not the last time this place would see death
however and would be the site where at least 100,000 more people would meet
their demise before the wars conclusion. Now this place of death is marked by a graphic memorial statue over the hollowed burial pits with a radio tower rising above.
No comments:
Post a Comment