The only living survivor of the Babi Yar massacre says not a day goes by that he doesn’t remember. That’s why it took him decades to reveal his Jewish identity
As told to Noach Paley
In a park outside one of the Soviet immigrant-populated buildings in the heart of old Beit Shemesh, children play happily — but inside and up a flight of stairs, the atmosphere suddenly becomes heavy. A friendly white-haired woman opens the door, welcoming me into a small living room — the old black-and-white pictures on the wall and the red-patterned rug and matching sofa cover giving the room a distinct Russian energy. Michael Sidko, 85, quite dapper in a blazer with a row of Soviet military medals pinned to the lapels, listens to the squeals and chatter from the window, but there is no laughter in his eyes as he recounts his story. In fact, his are probably the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen.
Michael Sidko is the last known living survivor of the Babi Yar massacre, the last pair of eyes to have witnessed the killing of over 33,700 Jews of Kiev in the Babi Yar ravine during two bloody, gruesome days in September 1941.
It’s been over 80 years of buried memories, but now, he’s agreed to talk.
“People in this generation don’t believe me anymore,” he says. Michael might be in Beit Shemesh, but his heart is still there, in that cursed mass grave. “Maybe a few old people who are still alive and who survived the war. The others can’t fathom that things like that could happen in this world between people. In 20 years, when none of us survivors are here anymore, who will testify to the truth?”
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