Videos: Professor Paul Robert Magocsi on Babyn Yar and commemoration – UJE

Posted in: UJE Initiatives, Jews on Ukrainian Land, The Holocaust in Ukraine, History, Public Relations

Ottawa – September 25, 2024
University of Ottawa

On September 25, 2024, the University of Ottawa, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and UJE, brought together politicians, community leaders and students for a presentation by UJE board member Professor Paul Robert Magocsi, Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto and co-editor of Babyn Yar: History and Memory. Moderators Professor Dominique Arel, Chair of Ukrainian Studies, University of Ottawa, and Yulia Yurchuk, Lenior Lecturer, Department of History of Ideas, Soderton University, Sweden, asked several deep and complex questions.

In his opening speech, Professor Magocsi emphasized that Babyn Yar was more than a symbol of the atrocities committed in September 1941; It has become a site of contention where the effort to remember is itself complex and politically explosive. Babyn Yar: History and Memory provides a comprehensive overview of the gorge's legacy as the site of numerous tragedies. Blending history, art and culture, the book highlights how competing memories of Babyn Yar have prevented it from being fully integrated into Ukraine's national historical narrative.

After the discussion, most participants stayed to continue the discussion at a reception and received a signed copy of the book.

Toronto – September 26, 2024
Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and Global Affairs

Several complexities were the focus of a recent discussion hosted by the Center for European and Eurasian Studies (CEES) at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and UJE on September 26, 2024. The event brought together UJE board member Professor Paul Robert Magocsi, Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto and co-editor of Babyn Yar: History and Memoryand Professor Robert Austin, Deputy Director of CEES, who moderated the conversation. The opening speech was given by Edward Schatz, Director of CEES.

Professor Magocsi emphasized in his opening speech that Babyn Yar was more than a symbol of the atrocities committed in September 1941; It has become a site of contention where the effort to remember is itself complex and politically explosive. Babyn Yar: History and Memory provides a comprehensive overview of the gorge's legacy as the site of numerous tragedies. Blending history, art and culture, the book highlights how competing memories of Babyn Yar have prevented it from being fully integrated into Ukraine's national historical narrative.

For more information, visit the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy website.