U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Begins Tenure with Visit to Babi Yar Memorial
Just days after assuming her post, the new U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Julie Fisher, chose to begin her diplomatic mission with a visit to the Babyn Yar memorial site in Kyiv — the site of the 1941 massacre where more than 33,000 Jews were murdered by the Nazis • Full Story
Ambassador Fisher was accompanied by Shliach and Chief Rabbi of Kyiv, Rabbi Yonatan Markowitz, as well as Rabbi Rafael Rutman, Vice Chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU). Together, they lit a memorial candle in honor of the victims. “The United States is committed to remembering the horrors of the Holocaust, standing with the Jewish community everywhere, and fighting antisemitism relentlessly. ‘Never again’ is now,” the ambassador declared.
During the ceremony, Rabbi Markowitz told the ambassador that he was named after his great-grandfather, who was murdered in the Holocaust together with his wife and children. He also shared with her the vital work of the Rebbe’s Shluchim — the Lubavitcher Rebbe himself was born in Ukraine — in supporting Jewish life across the country. Ambassador Fisher expressed deep interest in the history of Ukrainian Jewry as well as the challenges the community faces today in the shadow of the ongoing war.
Rabbi Rafael Rutman explained the ongoing process of restoring and preserving the Babyn Yar killing field.
At the site, Rabbi Markowitz recited Kel Maleh Rachamim memorial prayer for the victims and added: “At a time when Jews are under attack not only in Ukraine but also across Europe and even in Israel, this visit sends a clear message: the Jewish community is not alone. The whole world is watching and paying attention.”
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