Mahilyou authorities are against monument to Holocaust

For the fourth time the Jewish community of Mahilyou has addressed the city authorities with a request to construct a monument in the place of mass extermination of Holocaust victims.
As the representatives of the community said, a corresponding letter had been sent to the toponymic commission of Mahilyou city executive committee on June 30. It is noted there that October 2008 is the 65th anniversary of Minks Ghetto extermination, BelaPAN writes. It was one of the largest ghettos in Europe.
“This day has become the common day of memory of Holocaust victims in Belarus. It was a starting point for organizing memorial events which are to take place not only in Minsk, but all over the world. Among basic of them are construction of monuments, memorial signs in the places of mass execution of Holocaust victims in cities and districts of Belarus, including the construction of a memorial sign in the place of a former Jewish ghetto in Mahiloyu,” the letter reads.
As said by the authors of the letter, such a memorial sign would contribute to conservation of historic legacy of the city and upbringing of the young generation in the spirit of internationalism and patriotism”.
The memorial sign will look like a stone 1.7 to 2 metres put on a concrete base. Words in English and in Hebrew “In memory of Jews of Mahilyou, Nazi victims”, and numerous depictions of men’s, women’s and children’s palms.
The idea of the memorial sign has been approved not only by members of Mahilyou Jewish communities and Mahilyou natives living abroad, but by city community as well.
Mahilyou ghetto was created in September 1941. It existed for not long: by the end of October 1941 almost all Jewish community of Mahilyou and neighborhood, at least 10.5 civilians, was executed. After that less than a thousand of Jews, skilled workers, was left in the region. They lived in a specially established labour camp situated at the territoay of Dimitrov plant (Strommashyna plant at present). Later almost all of them were slaughtered.