Yekaterinburg Honors Holocaust Victims on Memorial Day
A memorial ceremony for Holocaust victims was held at the Yekaterinburg synagogue.
For many Ural residents, January 27 on the calendar means much more than just a working Tuesday. On this day, passing by Salvation Square, one cannot help but think about how much meaning is embedded in two simple words «Never again!», which have become a slogan of solidarity to ensure that the horrors of war and the Holocaust are not repeated.
Andrei Simanovsky participated in laying flowers at the Salvation Square memorial.
January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz; in 2026, it is being observed for the 81st time.
On this memorial date, the Yekaterinburg synagogue held a mourning ceremony dedicated to both of these historical dates. It was here two years ago that a place appeared which Ural residents regard with special reverence. This is the «Salvation Square» memorial and the «Floating Stones» monument. They were created in memory of the victims and in gratitude to the Red Army and Ural workers who helped save human lives. The installation of the complex was supported by the founder of «Sima-land,» Andrei Simanovsky.
— «My family, like many Russians, was touched by this terrible tragedy of humanity. Ask me, what is my nationality? My father, who went through the entire war, is Jewish; my mother is Russian; my grandfather is an exiled Crimean Tatar. It»s not about blood, but about the spirit. Who am I? Russian. This memorial, in essence, symbolizes our country, multinational but united,« says the philanthropist.
The Chief Rabbi of Yekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk Region, Zelik Ashkenazi, reminded why the square received such a name. The word «salvation» refers to the fates of thousands of people who were evacuated to the Urals and managed to survive.
— «We have been thinking about this project for a long time. But we had nothing. And besides the monument, it»s also a square of several thousand square meters. «Sima-Land» did a huge amount of work. It took about half a year, working day and night. The process required solving many issues, and they were solved,« commented Zelik Ashkenazi.
To remember the feat of the Red Army on the memorial date was urged by the head of state.
— «We will never forget these monstrous crimes, which were brought to an end by the Soviet Red Army. We bow to the heroism of its fighters and commanders, who saved the Jewish and other peoples from destruction. We honor the courage and resilience of all who did not submit in the most severe trials, fought in partisan detachments and underground, worked in the rear, contributed to the defeat of the enemy and the achievement of the Great Victory,» said President Vladimir Putin.
