- December 16, 2025
- 9:55 am
- Ukraine
What Happened and Why It’s a Turning Point
At the end of September 1966, Kyiv residents independently held a commemoration at Babyn Yar for the first time in a quarter of a century. September 24 — a small quiet action (about fifty people), September 29 — already hundreds. Thus began the city’s “lower” memory, returning names to the place where on September 29–30, 1941, the Nazis shot about 34,000 Jews in two days, and in total, about 100,000 people were killed in the ravine during the occupation. This was a turning point: memory initiated by citizens outpaced and forced changes in the official, impersonal version of history.
The story of the rally and its consequences was told on September 29, 2025, by the Ukrainian publication radiosvoboda (Ukr.) – there are many photos here.
Background: The Filled Ravine and the Kurenivka Disaster
1961: A Wave of Mud as “Babyn Yar’s Revenge”
The post-war years in Kyiv were marked by the systematic erasure of crime traces: the ravine was filled, a highway was laid nearby, and the old Jewish and Karaite cemeteries were destroyed for future construction.
On March 13, 1961, an earthen dam with liquid waste from a brick factory burst, and a four-meter wave of slurry hit Kurenivka. According to various estimates, 145 to 1,500 Kyiv residents died — the tragedy in popular memory was called “Babyn Yar’s Revenge.”
It was after these events that young Kyiv resident Emmanuel (Amik) Diamant first “saw” the Yar in the summer of 1961: a churned-up mess of earth and human bones. He began filming what was happening, creating unique testimonies of the state of the ravine in the early 1960s.
Personal Assembly Point: “I Am Responsible Only”
From Yevtushenko’s Line to Action
During the same period, Diamant heard a public reading by Yevgeny Yevtushenko — with the line “There are no monuments over Babyn Yar.” His response was harsh and honest:
“There was a lot of pathos… But Yevtushenko helped me understand the main thing: I am responsible only.”
This is the turning point: not waiting for someone’s permission, but returning memory through one’s own action.
How the First Outing Was Prepared
Canvas, Black Paint, and “Word of Mouth”
For the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, in the fall of 1966, Diamant decided to act. He bought white canvas and black paint, wrote a poster in Russian and Jewish languages (he barely knew Yiddish and Hebrew). The text was as direct and innocuously inevitable as possible:
“Babyn Yar. Remember the six million.”
Invitations began literally “in queues and trolleybuses” — from person to person, without posters and announcements.
The motivation was articulated without equivocation: “The main motive was wounded national dignity.” It was unacceptable for Jewish pain to dissolve into the impersonal formula “victims of fascism.”
September 24, 1966, 17:00 — Silence as Action
About fifty people approached the wall of the destroyed Jewish cemetery. No slogans, no demands — just presence, candles, a poster. And — the sudden appearance of two cars with film crews: Kyiv’s “Ukrkinochronika” and Moscow’s “Nauchfilm”. Some people were frightened by the cameras and dispersed; at that moment, a stranger squeezed into the small remaining group and asked short questions:
— “Did you do this?”
— “Not me.”
— “Are you afraid?”
— “I am.”
The stranger turned out to be writer Viktor Nekrasov. He simply said, “We need to talk,” and left his address and phone number. Thus, a vector for the second date appeared — for the civil anniversary on September 29.
Footage That Survived Searches
Kyiv operator Eduard Timlin managed to hide 80 meters of film (about one and a half minutes) — and kept the reel until 1991. This gesture alone was enough to understand: memory “burns” both at the level of people and facts.
The Second Rally: Word and Solidarity
“Come, Nekrasov Will Be There”
September 29, 17:00. An oral invitation formula circulated around Kyiv: “Come, Nekrasov will be there”. The writer himself “sat on the phone,” calling acquaintances — even in Moscow; a note was passed to literary critic Ivan Dziuba. Hundreds of people headed to the ravine — for the first time in 25 years after the mass shootings of 1941. Documentary filming was now in the hands of Garik Zhurabovich. The simple focus-conspiracy technique: the film was not wound to the end, pieces were hidden in pockets — “in case of arrests.”
Dziuba’s Speech and Shouts in the Crowd
Nekrasov and Dziuba appeared — naturally creating a demand for words. There were no microphones, not everyone could hear, but the meaning was very clearly fixed.
Ivan Dziuba: “Silence speaks only where everything has already been said. When nothing has been said yet, silence becomes an accomplice of falsehood and unfreedom.”
In several places, people climbed onto shoulders and shouted:
“Jews should not be afraid! We need to talk about anti-Semitism!“
Later, writer Vladimir Voinovich would express his shock at what he saw:
“I saw for the first time an absolutely spontaneous rally, not controlled by Soviet power.”
Among those present that day was Dina Pronicheva, one of the few who survived September 29, 1941; she is known to readers as a heroine of the documentary novel Anatoly Kuznetsov’s “Babyn Yar”.
“Civilians,” but No Dispersal
Police and KGB were present in civilian clothes, observing, recording, but no forceful dispersal occurred. Many in the crowd noticed informants. After an hour and a half, Diamant left with his wife and young daughter, formulating the main point:
“The main thing was achieved… We learned to be a nation from a ‘rabble.’ We learned to respect our graves.”
How the System Responded and What Happened Next
Stigma, Reprimands, “Preventive Measures”
The official formula used to stigmatize participants and the fact of the rallies was verbatim: “shameful gathering of Jewish and Ukrainian nationalists”. There were strict reprimands, dismissals, “preventive” conversations, film confiscations, and names were noted. But it was too late: annual September gatherings at Babyn Yar became a tradition.
Diamant’s Emigration and “Universal” Soviet Memory
In March 1971, Diamant was given 10 days to leave — he left the USSR and moved to Israel, taking with him surviving materials, including Zhurabovich’s footage from the second rally. The late Soviet decision on memorialization did not solve the problems: in 1976, a general monument “to the victims of fascism” was erected (without emphasis on Jewish victims), and in 1980, a park was created on the site of the filled ravine.
In independent Ukraine, the memory space consists of approximately 25 disparate signs — a long road to a coherent, honest conversation about the tragedy and its recipients.
Historical Framework and Facts (Collected in One Place)
- 29–30.09.1941 — about 34,000 Jews shot in two days; during the occupation years — about 100,000 killed in the ravine.
- 13.03.1961 — dam burst with liquid waste; wave up to 4 m, victims 145–1,500 (various estimates); event in city memory — “Babyn Yar’s Revenge“.
- 24.09.1966, 17:00 — first silent rally (~50 people); poster: “Babyn Yar. Remember the six million”; film crews “Ukrkinochronika” and “Nauchfilm”; Eduard Timlin saves 80 m of film and keeps the reel until 1991.
- 29.09.1966, 17:00 — second rally (hundreds of people); invitation formula in the city — “Come, Nekrasov will be there”; speeches by Viktor Nekrasov and Ivan Dziuba; documentary filming — Garik Zhurabovich; among those present — Dina Pronicheva; later assessment by Vladimir Voinovich on the spontaneity of the rally, “not controlled by the authorities”.
- 1971 — Emmanuel (Amik) Diamant emigrates to Israel, taking surviving materials.
- 1976 / 1980 — Soviet monument without mentioning Jews; park on the site of the filled ravine.
- Independent Ukraine — ≈25 memorial signs, annual September actions.
Why This Is Important — for Ukraine and Israel (Today)
This story is not only about the past but also about a way to be a society. In Kyiv in 1966, without permits and microphones, people called the tragedy by its name, and the solidarity of Jewish and Ukrainian intellectuals became the norm, not the exception. For Israelis, this is part of the diaspora bridge: figures like Diamant ultimately connect their fate with Israel, without losing ties with Kyiv-Babyn Yar. And for all of us, it’s a reminder: where memory is precise and honest, it’s harder to ignite xenophobia and rewrite history.
FAQ
FAQ
Why were there two rallies — on the 24th and 29th?
Because September 29, 1941 fell on Yom Kippur, and 25 years later, the “religious” date of memory according to the Jewish calendar fell on September 24, 1966; the second was the civil date of September 29. Both gatherings were about one thing: to return the place of the Jewish tragedy to the general historical memory of Kyiv.
What exactly was done on September 24?
A poster “Babyn Yar. Remember the six million” was attached to the wall of the destroyed Jewish cemetery, and they stood silently. It was a form of statement, not a rally “format”: to show that this is our grave and to name it.
What was said on September 29?
The key thought was from Ivan Dziuba’s speech: silence, while the truth is not spoken, is an accomplice of lies and unfreedom. In the crowd, there were calls “Jews should not be afraid! We need to talk about anti-Semitism!” — this was the meaning of the second action.
How did the authorities react?
The stigma of “shameful gathering of Jewish and Ukrainian nationalists”, reprimands, dismissals, “preventive measures”, film confiscations. But the annual September gatherings were no longer stopped: a tradition was formed.
Conclusions in Four Lines (for the Busy)
- September 1966 launched civil memory of Babyn Yar.
- Accuracy of names and dates is protection against future falsification.
- Solidarity of Jews and Ukrainians became a reality, not a slogan.
- The history of Babyn Yar is a bridge Kyiv ↔ Israel, part of a shared experience of dignity.