The installation of a sign in Volgograd at the site of the reburial of Jews killed by the Gestapo has become a restoration of historical memory.

In the Oktyabrsky district of Volgograd, a memorial sign was unveiled at the site of the reburial of the remains of 43 Jews shot by the fascists during the Battle of Stalingrad, funded by the Russian Jewish Congress. Members of the Jewish community indicated that the main goal is to restore the memory of the deceased.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on January 27, a rally on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Volgograd gathered about 50 people. Participants emphasized the importance of preserving the memory of the victims and studying the causes of the tragedy, calling to "not forget the horrors of war".

On July 26, a memorial sign was installed in the Jewish section of the Verkhnezarechensky cemetery at the site of the reburial of Holocaust victims. The event was organized by the Volgograd Jewish community with the support of the relevant regional committee and the administration of the Oktyabrsky district, funded by the Russian Jewish Congress. About 30 people aged from 6 to 70 attended. Among the participants were youth and concerned citizens for whom preserving historical memory is a vital civic duty and personal civic stance. The diverse age composition of those gathered was a clear testament to how the theme of memory unites different generations, said the head of the Jewish community, Yael Ioffe, to a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

The ceremony began with the anthem and a minute of silence – in mourning for the innocently killed. Yael Ioffe recounted the story of the discovery of the remains.

More than half of those shot were children under 18 years old. The youngest was 8 months old, the oldest was 73 years old.

In 2017, the remains of 45 people shot by the Gestapo in 1942 were discovered in a mass grave in a field near the village of Vodino. Research of the acts of the Extraordinary State Commission for the Investigation of Fascist Crimes from 1943, stored in the State Archive of the Volgograd Region, as well as the results of the examination, showed that 43 bodies belonged to Jews, and two of the deceased were possibly local collective farmers.

"The exhumation of the remains in 2020 was carried out by the Investigative Committee. They also conducted the examination. The studies showed that these people did not die from diseases but were shot. More than half of those shot were children under 18 years old. The youngest was 8 months old, the oldest was 73 years old. The remains were handed over to us. We reburied them at the Verkhnezarechensky cemetery according to Jewish tradition," said Yael Ioffe.

The main thing is to restore dignity to the deceased and memory of them.

Ioffe reported that the costs for all memorial works were covered by the Russian Jewish Congress. The names of the deceased are engraved on the memorial sign.

"For us, the appearance of the monument is not as important as the list of names. The main thing is to restore dignity to the deceased and memory of them," explained the head of the Jewish community.

According to her, the executed have no descendants, as they were shot as families.

Yael Ioffe noted that there were no acts of anti-Semitism at the event. She said that in the region, mainly everyday anti-Semitism manifests itself. There have been no serious incidents for a long time.

"In this matter, we are in constant contact with the Center "E". They respond promptly and conduct checks. The situation is stable: the tension is neither increasing nor decreasing," said Yael Ioffe.

Crimes motivated by anti-Semitism in the Volgograd region are rare, although its manifestations occur at the everyday level, members of the Jewish community previously indicated. They noted that local Jews try not to publicize their religiousness. "Caucasian Knot" reported that a court in Volgograd sentenced a native of Dagestan, Hasan Abukov, to two and a half years in a penal colony for attacking a Jew on the street and beating him. The attack occurred in July 2024. The state prosecutor appealed the sentence, demanding that Abukov be sentenced to four years in a strict regime, but the Volgograd Regional Court, having considered the appeal, left the sentence unchanged.