Holocaust Remembrance Week was marked in southern Russia with educational events.

Library and educational institution staff, as well as representatives of Jewish communities in the North Caucasus and Southern Federal Districts, held lectures, meetings, and other informational events to mark Holocaust Remembrance Week.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on January 27, 2025, approximately 50 people attended a Holocaust remembrance rally in Volgograd. The event, which was approved by the authorities, was organized by the Volgograd Jewish community and community center. The rally took place near the memorial sign "To the Victims of the Holocaust on Stalingrad Land," unveiled on November 9, 2021, at the initiative of the Jewish community. Some participants in the event said that the coverage of the Holocaust in educational institutions is insufficient.

During the annual "Holocaust Remembrance Week," which runs from January 14 to 28, educational events are also held in regions across southern Russia. Thus, in Adygea, employees of libraries, museums, children's art schools and cultural centers are holding "a series of memorial and educational events to preserve the memory of the Holocaust among the younger generation," the republic's Ministry of Culture reported on its Telegram channel.

"January 27 marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the date on which the Red Army liberated the prisoners of the Auschwitz (Oświęcim) death camp in 1945. "Remembrance Week" has been held in Russia since 2015 to commemorate the largest genocide in history, which claimed the lives of almost 60% of the Jewish population of Europe. Cultural institutions of Adygea participate in this event annually," the department explained.

In Astrakhan, memorial events are scheduled for January 27 and 28, at which "both adults and "to the younger generation," the public organization "Federal Jewish National and Cultural Autonomy" reports on its website.

"On January 27, Branch Library No. 18 will host a Remembrance Hour "The Holocaust - a People's Tragedy." The event is intended for high school students of the State Budgetary Institution of the Astrakhan Region "Astrakhan Linguistic Gymnasium." It will be led by Orli-Nikol Onikol, an activist of the NGO "Jewish National and Cultural Autonomy of Astrakhan "Hope." Three events will be held on January 28: a Remembrance Lesson "The Holocaust - Crime and Punishment" for employees of the Federal Tax Service of Russia for the Astrakhan Region, a Remembrance Lesson "The Holocaust - Crime and Punishment" for students in grades 8-11 of Secondary School No. 74 named after G. Tukai, and an Remembrance Hour "The Holocaust - a People's Tragedy" for college students," the organization reports. message.

In Kislovodsk, the local Jewish national and cultural autonomy held a meeting with young people to prevent "the ideology of xenophobia, extremism, and nationalism among young people," the public organization noted in a publication.

"They talked about how Nazis and extremists are not born, but become so through a conscious choice, and that the victims of any genocide, extremism, and terror are primarily innocent people: the elderly, women, and children. The tragedy of the Holocaust should remind us of this," the statement said.

On January 26, a lecture was held for students of the Pedagogical College in Izberbash Dagestan, dedicated to International Holocaust Remembrance Day, according to a statement on the college's website.

The lecture was given by the college's director's advisor. "During the meeting, the students learned that it was on January 27, 1945, that the Red Army liberated the largest camp, Auschwitz. Particular attention was paid to the role of the 60th Army, led by Marshal Ivan Konev, and the 107th Division, led by Lieutenant General Vasily Petrenko, whose soldiers were the first to enter the camp," the publication notes.

At the children's art school in the village of Psyzh Karachay-Cherkessia has scheduled an informational hour titled "Holocaust Remembrance Day," the Russian Ministry of Culture announced on its website.

"The event is aimed at raising students' awareness of the scale and tragedy of the Holocaust, as well as the importance of remembering the victims to prevent similar crimes in the future. The informational hour will cover the historical events associated with the Holocaust, its causes, and its consequences for Russian and world history," the ministry explained.

In May 2025, the honorary title of "Righteous Among the Nations" was posthumously awarded to Kaziy Bytdaev and Sapiyat Abazalieva, a married couple from Ust-Dzheguta who saved Jews during the Holocaust. According to documentary evidence found in the school archives of Ust-Dzheguta, during the Nazi occupation of Karachay-Cherkessia, Kaziy Bytdaev and Sapiyat Abazalieva hid and saved several Jewish girls in their home, the TASS "This is the Caucasus" project reported on May 7, 2025. This is the third family in Karachay-Cherkessia to be awarded the title of "Righteous Among the Nations," Garik Kurginyan, a representative of the republic's Public Chamber, explained to the agency. Several events were held in Krasnodar Krai as part of "Holocaust Remembrance Week." For example, the Slavyansk-on-Kuban Children's Art School held remembrance lessons on "Not Forget. Not Repeat. Memory of the Holocaust" and "The Holocaust – Memory of Generations" on January 21 and 22. "These weren't just classes, but a deep dive into history, designed to remind young hearts of the scale of the Holocaust tragedy and why it's so important to preserve its memory so that something like this never happens again," the art school reported on its website.

On January 23, staff at the Gorky Library in Krasnodar held a remembrance hour for students of the Information Technology College, titled "Numbers Instead of Names: The Tragedy of the Holocaust." Participants learned about the genocide of Jews and other peoples during the Great Patriotic War and watched video clips with eyewitness accounts from former prisoners of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, the Centralized Library System of Krasnodar reported on its website.

On January 22, the "Holocaust: Memory of Generations" event, organized by the city library staff, took place in Ust-Labinsk City Park. "Library volunteers distributed leaflets to residents and visitors of our city containing information about the horrific events that took place during World War II and introducing them to the history of the Holocaust. Olga Cherenova, a specialist at Ust-Labinsk City Library Branch No. 1, spoke about the place of concentration camps in the history of Russia and the Great Patriotic War," the Ust-Labinsk Library reported on its VKontakte page.

As a reminder, the Volgograd Jewish community has repeatedly encountered manifestations of anti-Semitism. For example, Dagestani resident Gasan Abukov was sentenced to prison for attacking a Jew in Volgograd in July 2024. According to the victim, during the conflict, Abukov made accusations against the Jewish people in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Anti-Semitic Speeches in the North Caucasus Shocked the Chief Rabbi of Russia

Muslims of the North Caucasus reacted sharply to the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that began in October 2023. From October 26 to 29, 2023, mass anti-Semitic protests took place in three republics of the North Caucasus - Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay-Cherkessia. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared reports "Anti-Semitic Protests in the North Caucasus: How It Happened" and "A Wave of Anti-Semitic Protests in the North Caucasus".

Anti-Semitic crimes are rare in the Volgograd Region, although its manifestations meet at the everyday level, members of the Jewish community indicated. They also noted that local Jews try to keep their religiosity low-key.

However, similar incidents have occurred before. For example, in 2013, participants in a bike show threw stones at a kindergarten belonging to the Jewish community, and memorial signs have also been desecrated on several occasions.

In November 2021, a man was arrested for desecrating a monument to Holocaust victims; he was subsequently sentenced to six years in prison.