Kyiv Council asks Israel to recognize Sheptytsky as Righteous Among Nations

The Kyiv City Council appealed to Yad Vashem regarding Sheptytsky. Photo: golos.if.ua

The Kyiv City Council appealed to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center with a request to officially grant the honorary title of the Righteous Among the Nations to Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky of the UGCC.

The corresponding decision was made at a meeting on Thursday, November 18, according to the website of the Kyiv City Council.

As the head of the permanent Commission on Education and Science, Family, Youth and Sports Vadim Vasilchuk explained, "it is necessary to pay tribute to the man who saved hundreds of Jews and to perpetuate the memory of the Metropolitan". The deputy added that Sheptytsky certainly deserves to be awarded the honorary title of the "Righteous".

In Israel the issue of conferring the honorary title of "Righteous Among the Nations" on Andrey Sheptytsky has been considered several times, but the commission rejected this proposal each time. After another appeal about the ex-head of the UGCC, Yad Vashem recalled that Sheptytsky welcomed the Nazi invaders, and his "way of action contributed to the entry of Ukrainians into the ranks of the murderers of Jewish families".

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