On January 27, 2006 Tkuma All-Ukrainian Academic Board held its regular meeting. Commemoration of International Holocaust Memorial Day, coordination of Tkuma Center working plan for 2006, as well as discussing the challenges of opposition to anti-Semitic tendencies in Ukraine, the hotbed of which is infamous MAUP were the principal issues on the Meeting agenda.

The Jewish Council of Ukraine located at Nemans’kyi street hosted more than 20 scientists from Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, L’viv, Rivne, Simferopol’, Kharkiv.

Not much was said on the occasion of International Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27. Il’ya Levitas, the head of the Jewish Council of Ukraine and “Babiy Yar” Fund, shared his personal attitude to the tragedy borne through the years. He raised painful questions of today: preservation of historical memory, forming of national awareness together with tolerance and necessity to fight any forms of xenophobia and Anti-Semitism. The members of Tkuma All-Ukrainian Academic Board commemorated the Holocaust Memorial Day with a minute of silence.

As is well known, specifically on January 27, 1945 the Soviet armies released the prisoners of the most horrible Nazi “factory of death” – Auschwitz concentration camp. U.N.O. designated this day the International Holocaust Memorial Day. Tkuma All-Ukrainian Academic Board members from many parts of Ukraine have agreed to establish the All-Ukrainian Holocaust Memorial Day on September, 29 – the day of mass executions of the Jews in Babiy Yar, a tragic symbol of Ukrainian Holocaust. With a relevant proposal Academic Board has appealed to the state and social organizations.

Considering the Tkuma Center working plan for 2006 academicians focused their attention on the scientific projects and preparation for the scientific conferences.

The following agenda is to be arranged:

● Tkuma V^th International Scientific Conference related to “Interdisciplinary and complex approaches to Holocaust study and comprehension” under the direction of International Academic Board and headed by Chief Historian of Yad-Vashem, Prof. of Bar-Ilan University, Dan Michman. The conference is to take place in Kyiv, on September 17-20, 2006;

● “Identifying the names of the Ukrainian Jews, exterminated during the Holocaust period ”scientific project;

● Establishing the International Ukrainian-Polish-Jewish scientific Forum “Bridges of understanding”.

Scientific publications of Tkuma Center remained in the focus of  everybody’s attention. Mykhailo Tyaglyy, editor-in-chief, commented on the preparation of “Problems of Holocaust” journal’s third issue. The journal  will comprise numerous articles by Ukrainian and foreign scientists, historical documents, as well book reviews and will be published in March, this year.

The publication by Tkuma center of the fundamental monograph on Holocaust history by Dr. Ytzhak Arad, Israeli scientist will become the most significant event. The publication is planned for 2006. This book will fall within the Tkuma Holocaust Library series started with the unique work by Prof. Dan Michman “Historiography of the Catastrophe” (2005).

Among other planned issues are articles on the dilemma of humanitarian choice in the totalitarian regimes in the context of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky’s deeds – one of the spiritual leaders of the Ukrainian people in 20^th century.

 The planned series of the Holocaust documentaries are also of great interest.

M.Tyaglyi presented to his colleagues his new book published in the series of “Ukrainian Holocaust Library” with the support of Tkuma Center and related to the Holocaust events in the Crimea.

Discussing the third International Creative Works Competition “Lessons of Holocaust – Lessons of tolerance”, Tkuma Deputy Director and coordinator of educational programs, S. Gerus emphasized the provisions of competition for the participants of different educational establishments from different countries. The results of the competition will be announced at the International Forum on September 17-20, devoted to the 65^th anniversary of Babyi Yar tragedy.

Tkuma Academic Board members have also approved to proceed with delivering lectures on Holocaust history for universities of Ukraine in academic year 2006-2007. Prof. Tetyana Ladichenko (Head of the department of the History teaching methods at Dragomanov University, Kiev), Prof.Viktor Pervak(Candidate of the philosophical Sciences, Head of the Social Sciences department of the Medical Institute of Ukrainian Association of folk medicine ), Prof. Rudolf Myrskyi(Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, Professor of “Lvivska politehnika” University, Lviv), Maksim Gon(Candidate of historical sciences, Docent of the World history department of Rovno State University) and others informed of the preparation for delivering the courses and need in methodological and teaching materials.

The painful issue of the anti-Semitic provocative activity of MAUP has also been the item of the meeting. The most recent xenophobic opus of this higher education establishment is the article entitled as “Tkuma, Joint and Shmuel Kaminetskyi as the brain of the Ministry of Education” (“Personal puls” newspaper, - 2006. - ¹3).

Nearly without exception, Academic Board members spoke on this occasion. We can summarize their mutual position:

First of all, to response the low-grade opuses of the MAUP “scientists” will mean to stand within their rank. Hardly will it have any sense to have discussions with people who speak out the ideas more alike extracts from the case history of mental disease.

But, except inadequate people, anti-Semitism infected those,  mentally sane whose moral principles permit to earn money by means of xenophobia.

Political aspect is also of concern here. It is clear that Mr.Shchokin, Head of MAUP, as well as leader of the so-called Conservative Party aims to catch public attention  through any kind of scandal. Should we give him the ground for pre-elections campaign?

Of course, ant-Semitic activity of MAUP is caused by the destructive forces outside Ukraine and aim to affect Ukraine’s image. And here the consideration of relevant state institutions is urgently needed, and the statements of some figures seem to require  even psychiatrist’s consideration.

Though, Tkuma Academic Board Meeting considered scientific and institutional teaching matters also. The upcoming Meeting which is to be held in March 2006 will show if any changes will be produced.

Dr. Igor Shchupak,

Tkuma Center Director,

OSCE expert.