Today, August 2, the world celebrates International Roma Holocaust Day, and the faithful honor the memory of the holy prophet Elijah.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – August 02, 2021 – Ukraine Society and Culture
International Day of Remembrance of the Nazi Roma Genocide is a commemorative date set by the Proclamation of the International Council of Remembrance of the Roma Genocide, adopted on November 23, 1996, by leaders of Roma organizations in 10 countries in Europe and the United States at the Genocide-Pam Conference. Yat – Nadiya ”, which took place in Auschwitz on November 21-23, 1996.
It is celebrated annually on August 2. On the night of August 2-3, 1944, 2,897 Roma were killed in gas chambers in the Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. In total, out of 23,000 Gypsies deported from 14 countries, more than 20,000 died in this camp.
It is estimated that between 600,000 and 1,500,000 Roma died during the genocide. As a percentage, the Roma ethnic group suffered the most from Nazi killings. More than 90 percent of the Roma population in Austria, Germany, and Estonia were annihilated by the fascist regimes. During World War II, about 19,000 to 20,000 Roma people were killed in punitive actions of the occupation regime in Ukraine, but there are no reports of deaths in forced labor, ghetto camps, raids against the UPA, and Soviet guerrillas, and so on.
According to the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of October 8, 2004, № 2085-IV “On the celebration of the International Day of Roma Genocide” The International Day of Remembrance of the Nazi Roma Genocide in Ukraine is celebrated at the state level.
Since 2011, Poland has also been celebrating this Day at the state level.
Germany limited itself to formal recognition of the Roma genocide in 1982 after the scandalous hunger strike of 12 Gypsies in Dachau, who demanded recognition of Nazi Germany’s genocide against the Roma. The then Chancellor Helmut Schmidt confirmed this by recognizing the extermination of 500,000 Gypsies in concentration camps as a “murder of the people” – for racist reasons. Fifteen years later, the Roma were recognized as a national minority in Germany.
Religious holidays
Today, August 2, Orthodox Christians celebrate Elijah’s Day – a holiday in honor of the Old Testament prophet Elijah.
Among the Slavs, the prophet Elijah is one of the most revered saints, along with Nicholas the Wonderworker. He is considered a defender of pure faith and a protector of the faithful to the Lord. In addition, Elijah healed the sick and helped the needy.
According to biblical legends, he did not die but was raised alive to heaven.
On Monday, August 2, birthdays are celebrated by the owners of the following names: August, Elijah, Alexander, Athanasius, George, Tikhon.
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Source: Ukrgate