The Holocaust Museum in Odesa

About

Museum of the Holocaust – victims of fascism, Odesa (Ukrainian: Музей "Голокосту – жертв фашизму", Одеса, romanized: Muzey "Holokostu – zhertv fashyzmu", Odesa) – the first Museum in Ukraine, which is based on the events of the genocide of the Jewish population in Transnistria Governorate (the territories which were from 1941 to 1943 under jurisdiction of Romania and occupied Odesa, Mykolaiv and part of Vinnytsia Oblast).

In 1995, the idea arose to create a museum of the Holocaust in Odesa. It was proposed by two former prisoners of the ghetto and concentration camps: President of the Association "Ukraine- Israel " and former prisoner of the concentration camp in Domanivka Dmitry Gutakhov, and former prisoner of fascism Nilva Efim.

Fourteen years later, by the decision of the Council of Odesa regional Association of Jews—former prisoners of ghettos and Nazi concentration camps (Chairman of the Association – Shvartsman Roman Markovich ), the museum officially opened on 22 June 2009.

On the opening day of the Museum, the head of the society "Ukraine – Israel" Dmitry Gutakhov, in his speech noted:

The opening date of the Museum is symbolic. On 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. Blitzkrieg on the eastern front was not only about instant military victory, it was also (if not mostly) about genocide and war crimes. Nazi Germany wanted to kill or enslave all of the Soviet Union's population, just like they were (trying) to do in Poland since 1 September 1939. Terrible war crimes were committed by both the SS groups just like the Wehrmacht. All Slavic, Roma, Jewish (hated the most by Nazis) and other people were considered by brainwashed Germans as subhumans, hence undeserving of rights and dignity. Those who could not work for their "masters" from "master Aryan race" (Germans) and become their slaves were to be exterminated.

By decision of the Council of the Odesa Regional Association of Jews-former prisoners of the ghetto and Nazi concentration camps, Sabulis Victor Franzevich was appointed the first director of the museum.

On the eve of the opening of the museum Roman Markovich Shvartsman said:

- We have long dreamed of creating such a museum, collecting everything that speaks about that time.

Initially in two halls of the museum about one and a half thousand exhibits were exposed: photos, documents, tablets and exhibits – witnesses of that time, a large part from which is taken from private collections of the Odesa Jews brought by former prisoners.

A significant part of the exposition was transferred to the museum from Chicago, US, now the late native of Odesa, former prisoner of the ghetto Lev Dumer.

All exhibits are genuine, dedicated to Odesa citizens – former prisoners of concentration camps and ghettos, 400 of whom were lucky enough to survive the nightmares of the Holocaust. These are graphic images, photographs, and relics, and photo documents about the horrors experienced during the Second World War by Jewish residents of Odesa and the region. One particularly painful exhibit is the rope with which the Nazis hanged a young girl. It was given to the museum by a man who, at that time, a boy, was in love with that girl.

Today, the Holocaust Museum is a two-story complex, which houses a research library, a training center and a memorial space.

Initially, the exhibition gives an overview of the Holocaust, and then focuses on the fate of the Jews of Odesa and Transnistria. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum offers audio and video interviews, a library and a memorial room.

The permanent exhibition covers five halls of the Museum.

- Hall of the library, which presents literature related to the history of the Holocaust, historical documents, artifacts, historical and personal photos, oral and video history, personal belongings of former prisoners of concentration camps and ghettos.

- Hall, which presents the history of the occupation of the fascists in Europe, and after the Odesa Oblast. Here is a video card of the Transnistria, where death camps, labor camps and ghettos are marked.

- Hall, which tells the story of the typical life of the pre-war Jewish family in Shtetl, so used to be called small town.

- Hall of the Righteous Among the Nations. Here are photos, awards, personal belongings of the Righteous of the peoples of the world of Odesa Oblast.

- Hall of Victory. Here are pictures of military officers, sailors, heroes of the USSR, who participated in the liberation of the Odesa Oblast from the Nazi invaders, during the Second World War.

The Museum also presents traveling exhibitions, where you can see Roma, Bulgarian Jews, former prisoners of ghettos and Romanian concentration camps.