Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak held a phone conversation with Roman Shvartsman, a former prisoner of the Bershad Ghetto.
Andriy Yermak expressed gratitude for Roman Shvartsman’s active efforts to preserve the memory of Nazi crimes against humanity. He also highlighted Roman Shvartsman’s recent speech in the German Bundestag, where the Holocaust survivor compared modern Russia’s actions to Nazi crimes and called for international support for Ukraine.
"What you are doing today is incredibly important. It is crucial to continue raising awareness, especially about the need for ongoing support for Ukraine. The war is not over, and we must use every opportunity to make the world hear us and maintain the unity we need," Andriy Yermak emphasized.
The Head of the Office of the President also proposed holding a joint meeting with representatives from the United States, Israel, and Germany – those working to preserve the memory of Holocaust victims – to discuss the consequences of crimes against humanity, including those Russia is committing against the Ukrainian people today.
Roman Shvartsman praised the resilience and determination of the entire Ukrainian nation in its fight against the aggressor, expressing his conviction that this struggle will hold a significant place in history.
Born in the Vinnytsia region into a large Jewish family, Roman Shvartsman and his relatives were sent to the Bershad Ghetto when he was just five years old. Since the early 1990s, he has been actively involved in public initiatives to preserve the memory of Holocaust victims. He currently serves as the Head of the Odesa Regional Association of Jews – Former Prisoners of Ghettos and Nazi Concentration Camps.