On 21 March, at our initiative, a spring community work day (toloka) took place in Zalishchyky to create the ‘Oasis of Memory’ memorial garden!
The initiator of creating a site of memory for the 840 Jews of Zalishchyky who perished right here during the Holocaust was city native Mila Sandberg-Mesner, a public figure and writer (22/11/1923, Zalishchyky – 03/11/2023, Montreal, Canada).
During her visit to her hometown in 2008, she was deeply distressed to find that a municipal stadium had been built in the post-war years on the site of mass graves of Nazi execution victims. Yet it was necessary to somehow mark the final resting place of the eight hundred Zalishchyky Jews whose lives were taken by a misanthropic regime. The initiative to install a memorial sign here was realised in 2010 with the assistance of the then-Mayor Mr Volodymyr Benevyat and the Director of the Zalishchyky Museum of Local Lore Mr Vasyl Oliynyk.
But in the 15 years that have elapsed since then, both this event and this location have been somewhat forgotten. You will not find any mention of it in tourist guidebooks or on the tourist maps of Zalishchyky. in planning the creation of the memorial garden with the working title ‘Oasis of Memory’, we proceeded from the fact that the Zalishchyky Community Development Strategy for 2022–2028 provides for its development as a regional tourist centre. furthermore, the headquarters of the ‘Dniester Canyon’ National Nature Park is located in Zalishchyky, whose aim includes the preservation and restoration of objects of special historical-cultural, educational, and aesthetic value.
Commemorating the victims of the Holocaust appears relevant even in times of war—at a time when yet another misanthropic regime denies the right of existence to Ukrainians as a political nation and commits mass atrocities.
Thus our goal was to draw public attention to the site of memory and create a memorial garden around it, thereby spatially separating it from the sports arena.
The community work day to create the park, involving senior pupils from the city schools and employees of the national nature park, was planned in advance. the spatial planning scheme for the garden was developed by the Zalishchyky City Council.
By its organisation, our community action was purely voluntary; and in terms of its meaningful content, it was environmental, anti-war, memorial, educational, and enlightening.
By our actions, we testified that the victims of the Nazi genocide are not forgotten.
We were strengthened in the conviction that life will certainly prevail over death and war.
We presented the City with another green oasis and a memorial site.
We countered Kremlin propaganda which spreads lies throughout the world regarding a ‘revival of Nazism in Ukraine’.
The weather on the day of the community work was helpful! the mood among the participants was vernal and optimistic—despite the anxious times we are all experiencing along with the country. the first stage of creating the park has been completed. the work of its development will continue in the future.
Our partners in conducting the community toloka were:
- The ‘Dniester Canyon’ National Nature Park
- The Zalishchyky City Council
- The Zalishchyky State Gymnasium
- Specialised School I–III Grades Named after O. S. Makovey, Zalishchyky
- NGO ‘Helsinki Initiative-XXI’
Sincere thanks to everyone who joined!
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Saplings of decorative species for the ‘Oasis of Memory’ were purchased with the support of the Ukrainian Climate Network (UKM), which just celebrated its 25th anniversary during these days #UKM25
The UKM is an association of Ukrainian environmental NGOs whose goal is the realisation of the citizens' right to life in a safe environment through influencing environmental policies and practices.
Happy birthday to the UKM!
In 2000, EGO ‘Green World’ was one of the founders of the UKM along with other organisations: the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine, UEA ‘Green World’, CF ‘Ecopravo-Svit’, the Environmental Movement of Donbas, NGO ‘Voice of Nature’, MGO ‘Ecoclub-Rivne’, and others.
Twenty-five years is truly a large period of time. And there are not many civic networks that have proved capable of maintaining a circle of communication and cooperation for so many years. This must be valued; we should thank all member organisations of the UKM and our colleagues. sadly, some of them are no longer with us. Let us at least recall them with gratitude: Serhiy Tarashchuk, Mykola Korobko, Svitlana Kravchenko, Alexander Bagin, Yaroslav Movchan…
The nature conservation movement is currently going through difficult times due to the war, the martial law regime, a crisis in public administration, and a global crisis of worldview values. but a crisis in world politics will sooner or later confront Humanity with even more acute and pressing problems related to climate change. for “the power of climate is stronger than all other powers” (Montesquieu).
Thus it is worth continuing to support our community, our unity, and our capacity for cooperation for the sake of all living things, and for the future of Ukraine and the World.