The Ambassador of Israel participated in a promotional tour of former shtetls, uniting the Gluboksky, Ushachsky, and Dokshitsky districts
The scale and uniqueness of the route were also appreciated by members of parliament, specialists from the Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, and tourism companies and public associations operating in the tourism sector.
In Yiddish, "shtetl" means "small Jewish town." This is what semi-urban settlements with a predominantly Jewish population in Eastern Europe were called. The route's program includes visits to museums, memorial complexes, burial sites, and commemorative places where objects that played an important role in the spiritual life of Jewish communities were previously located.
– Every nation studies its history. Ours spans several millennia and is written in the Bible. Unfortunately, one of the historical stages became the most tragic for us. Thank you to everyone who preserves the memory of the terrible events of the Great Patriotic War. Thank you from the State of Israel, from the Jewish community of the whole world, – emphasized Alon Shogam.
Cooperation Project
In January of this year, Vladimir Andreichenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, participated in the V World Forum of Leaders, held in Jerusalem, which was dedicated to the International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Holocaust and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
– During the visit, Vladimir Pavlovich discussed with representatives of the Israeli side issues of cooperation in various fields, including tourism. The development of this route became a practical embodiment of the agreements reached at that time, – said Andrey Romanov, assistant to the Chairman of the House of Representatives. – Large-scale work is being carried out in our country to preserve the memory and knowledge of the crimes of Nazism, its victims, and the heroes who won peace and freedom for future generations.
According to Andrey Antonovich, the developed route serves the same purpose. This is one of those projects that are planned to be implemented in the formats of state and private international partnership to strengthen friendship and cooperation between Belarus and Israel, and to preserve the memory of the common past of our peoples.
A Sad Fate
The new tourist route begins near the urban-type settlement of Begoml, Dokshitsy district. In October 1941, about a thousand people were shot on the outskirts of the settlement. Their remains were reburied in the 1960s, and items found at the execution site were transferred to the Begoml Museum of Folk Glory. By the way, among the dead were ancestors of the father of Zinovy Kogan, Vice-President of the Congress of Jewish Religious Communities and Organizations of Russia.
Before the war, 3.6 thousand people lived in Dokshitsy, 75% of whom were Jews. German invaders, implementing Hitler's program for the extermination of Jews, organized a ghetto here. People were exhausted by heavy forced labor. Many died from unbearable loads due to constant hunger and lack of medical care. Prisoners were brutally punished for the slightest violation.
A Journey Back
On the eve of the Day of National Remembrance of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War, a commemorative sign was solemnly unveiled at the site of the synagogue complex in Glubokoye.
– Many years later, we are again recalling the tragic pages of history. Synagogues are not just buildings for us, they are the spiritual core that unites people. The fact that a stone with a memorial inscription will now stand in this place speaks of respect for history, – said Alon Shogam. – In the usual sense, a tourist route is an acquaintance with another country, its traditions, customs. The proposed tour has a different meaning – it is a journey back into the past, home, to one's history, it is a search for one's roots. Many residents of Israel have Belarusian roots. Undoubtedly, it will be interesting for them to see how Jews lived on this land 100 years ago and more, what heritage, given the destructive power of war, has been preserved.
The guests also visited the city square of famous countrymen, in the center of which is a bust of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who revived Hebrew as a modern spoken language (pictured).
– The organization of the tourist route is another confirmation of our commitment to preserve historical memory for future generations, – noted the Chairman of the Glubokoye District Executive Committee, Alexander Shubsky, in his speech. – I am confident that the developed tour will contribute to the development of nostalgic tourism and the further rapprochement of the peoples of Belarus and Israel.
The final and no less exciting stage of the tourist route includes a visit to the memorial complex "Proryv" (Breakthrough), located in the Ushachi district. This is another important page of history that cannot be forgotten.
Text and photos by Diana BERNIKOVICH, "Vitebskiye Vesti".