Israel erects first Holodomor victims monument in Jerusalem

Jerusalem hosted the official unveiling of Israel’s first monument that is dedicated to the victims of the Holodomor on Dec. 3, the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide reported.

The monument was created by Canadian-Ukrainian artist Ludmilla Temertey and Canadian sculptor David Robinson. It was installed in the Rose Garden, located between Israel’s parliament and the Supreme Court of Justice.

“In the sculpture, we see a broken millstone, a reminder of the devastating policies of the Soviet regime and a symbol of a broken circle of life, alongside a raised hand holding five stalks of wheat, recalling the infamous repressive law,” the museum said. “The composition is intended to symbolize the weight of memory, the unbreakable spirit of the Ukrainian people, and a deep faith in renewal and healing.”

The ceremony was part of a commemoration of the Holodomor victims and included members of the Ukrainian delegation that was led by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka, representatives of the Jerusalem Municipality, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Knesset, the diplomatic corps, and the Ukrainian community.

The initiative was carried out on the orders of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with support from the Temerty Foundation in Canada, the Jerusalem Municipality, the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel, the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium, and the Ukrainian World Congress.

Israel has not officially recognized the Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people during which millions of Ukrainians were starved to death by the Soviet regime. 

In 2022, Israel’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, said the country typically refrains from making formal decisions about recognizing national tragedies of other nations.