Projects for Teachers

On September 25, 2025, within the framework of the project “Historical Education for All. Myths and Facts: Between Legend and Reality” of the educational hub “Donechchyna”, an online meeting of history and humanities teachers of secondary educational institutions of the Donetsk region was held with the deputy director for scientific work of the ”Tkuma” Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies Dr. Yehor Vradii, who gave a lecture-presentation on the topic “Crossroads of Worlds: Ukrainians, Jews and Poles of Galicia on the Eve of World War II”.

The meeting was moderated by Liliya Denisova, a methodologist at the Department of National Education, Extracurricular and Civic and Historical Education of the Donetsk Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education.

The topic of the lecture is of extreme importance for understanding the social climate in the region, which literally became the first among other parts of Ukraine to be the object of aggression of two totalitarianisms – German Nazi and Soviet communist. Subsequently, from the very beginning of the German-Soviet war, it was on the territory of Galicia that the Nazis would “launch” the practice of genocide against the Jews. In their Holocaust policy, the German occupation authorities counted on the massive involvement of representatives of the local population in their crimes, skillfully manipulating information about the nature of the crimes of the Soviet regime, as well as encouraging the manifestation of the vilest sides of human nature.

During the meeting, Yehor Vradii outlined the complex historical context of the coexistence of Ukrainians, Jews and Poles in Galicia at the beginning of the 20th century. The participants examined how these three communities interacted with each other, what cultural and social processes determined their lives, and how tragic events – the Soviet and Nazi occupation, the Holocaust – forever changed the ethnic and cultural image of the region.

The lecture focused on the issue of teaching this period in schools. It focused on the need to move away from stereotypes, the importance of distinguishing myths from proven facts, and conveying complex topics to students in an accessible and at the same time scientifically sound manner.

The event became a platform for a serious conversation about the past (in particular, about the complex and painful events of the 20th century), which helps modern educators form critical thinking and respect for the multifaceted nature of history in the younger generation.

• Next