Babi Yar Memorial

The Mizel Museum presents the annual Babi Yar Memorial on Sunday, September 25, 2011, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at Babi Yar Park in Denver to honor the memories of those lost during the Holocaust in Babi Yar, Ukraine. Babi Yar Park is a project of the Mizel Museum and Denver Parks & Recreation. Located at Havana and Yale in southeast Denver, the park is 27-acre refuge for reflection, and a place where survivors of crimes against humanity can gather and honor victims of terror and genocide.

WELCOME ADDRESS: Mayor Michael Hancock

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. David Shneer will present Many Babi Yars: The Holocaust on Soviet Soil (Dr. Shneer will present in English and Russian)

MUSIC: Violinist Sherman Jacobs will give a short performance of music reminiscent of shtetl life

THANKS TO: Denver Citycouncilwoman Peggy Lehmann‘s office for providing tent and chairs

We are delighted that Dr. David Shneer will be the keynote speaker at this year’s memorial. He is an exceptional thinker and scholar, and a favorite of the Russian-American community for his knowledge and his facility with six languages, especially Russian and Yiddish. When he’s not traveling the world to teach and research his areas of interest, he is a professor of history and director of the Program in Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado. His talk is titled Many Babi Yars: The Holocaust on Soviet Soil. Dr. Shneer will translate for the Russian-speakers. Many Americans are surprised to learn that there were “many Babi Yars,” found in Belarus, Ukraine, and into Russia. Though there were 30,000 people killed in the first two days of the Babi Yar massacre, which started on Yom Kippur, 1941, it is estimated that there are 2,500 mass graves, most of them yet to be found.

The Babi Yar Memorial is presented by the Mizel Museum, Jewish Family Service and the office of Councilwoman Peggy Lehmann.