In Ukraine, Uzhhorod University is launching courses on the history of the Holocaust: memory that becomes knowledge

On October 3, 2025, Uzhhorod National University (UzhNU) announced the launch of Holocaust history courses as part of the international program The Claims Conference University Partnership in Holocaust Studies.

In the 2025–2026 academic year, students will be able to study topics that shape not only the historical but also the humanitarian memory of Europe.

This is the third Ukrainian university to join this global initiative aimed at preserving and understanding the history of the Jewish genocide.

Three Courses — Three Perspectives on Memory

Classes will be held for undergraduate, master’s, and postgraduate students.
Lectures are given by Pavlo Khudish, a candidate of historical sciences and associate professor of the Department of Archaeology, Ethnology, and Cultural Studies.

The program covers three areas:

• introduction to the history of the Holocaust,
• “Holocaust by Bullets” on the territory of Ukraine,
• history of the Jewish community of Transcarpathia.

The course on Transcarpathia attracted the most interest — more than 20 students chose it.
Using the reverse learning method, participants analyze memoirs, diaries, interviews, and testimonies of survivors to understand how the events of the Holocaust unfolded and how they affected the post-war world.

History Through Personal Fates

Pavlo Khudish has been studying the Holocaust for more than ten years.
He emphasizes: these courses are not just academic training but an attempt to understand the human being in times of inhuman decisions.

“We are not just talking about numbers,” explains Khudish. “We are talking about choices. About how people could resist, save, collaborate, remain silent, or act.”

Special attention is paid to the regional context: in Transcarpathia during World War II, Jews, Roma, prisoners of war, and other groups became victims of Nazism.

The history of the Holocaust here is not an abstraction but a part of Ukrainian history, inscribed in the fates of specific families and cities.

Memory as a Tool of Modernity

A separate emphasis in the course is placed on the connection between the past and the present. According to the teacher, by analyzing Nazi crimes, students can better understand the nature of modern wars and crimes against humanity, including Russian aggression against Ukraine.

“Studying the Holocaust helps to see parallels and understand that indifference always precedes tragedy,” adds Khudish.

Thus, the course becomes not just a study of the past but a conversation about the present and the responsibility of society.

Uzhhorod National University: The Western Gateway of Ukrainian Science

Uzhhorod National University (UzhNU) is one of the oldest and largest universities in western Ukraine.
It is located in Uzhhorod, in the heart of Transcarpathia, on the border with Hungary and Slovakia.

Founded in 1945, the university has long been an intellectual bridge between Eastern and Central Europe.
Today, it has more than 13,000 students, and teaching is conducted in Ukrainian, English, and Hungarian.

The Department of Archaeology, Ethnology, and Cultural Studies at UzhNU is considered one of the strongest in the country for humanitarian research.
It is here that a new generation of Ukrainian historians is being formed, for whom the memory of the Holocaust is not just part of the curriculum but part of the country’s cultural identity.

Education as a Form of Memory

The Holocaust history courses at UzhNU are not just a tribute to tradition or international standards.
They are a step towards creating a society capable of understanding the past to protect the future.

Students learn not only facts but also critical thinking: to analyze sources, ask uncomfortable questions, and see the complexity of human decisions.

The university is confident — the more young people understand that behind every historical event are human fates, the less chance there is that the world will repeat the mistakes of the past.